Elmer Merle Parsons was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1926 (not 1899...as incorrectly reported here) . In 1949, when he was 23 years old, he was convicted of burglary and grand theft for stealing a car from a Phoenix used car lot and leading police on a wild chase that ended in a crash. He served three years in Chino State Prison...but didn't stay free for long. imdb.com