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EXCLUSIVE: FBI informant beaten in San Luis Obispo County Jail

April 2, 2015
Kip Moye Holland

Kip Moye Holland

By KAREN VELIE

An informant who helped the FBI expose a corrupt police officer was severely beaten last month while incarcerated in the San Luis Obispo County Jail.

On March 2, the day after it was reported that the city of San Luis Obispo agreed to pay Kip Holland and his girlfriend a $25,000 settlement, four inmates attacked the 49-year-old man. Holland was treated for lacerations to his head at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center.

Holland’s information led to the 2013 conviction of Cory Pierce, a San Luis Obispo police officer who had been on loan to the sheriff’s department, for extortion.

In Dec. 2013, a federal judge sentenced Pierce to 18 months in prison. Prosecutors described an officer who stole drugs from the sheriff’s department evidence locker, held guns on his victims while stealing drugs under the color of authority and then bribed others to sell the drugs.

Holland and his girlfriend, who was also an FBI informant, filed a suit in federal court claiming Pierce had coerced them to sell drugs and had forced sex on Holland’s girlfriend. In Dec. 2014, the city of San Luis Obispo paid $25,000 to settle the suit.

On March 19, Pismo Beach police arrested Holland on charges of misdemeanor forgery and violation of his probation and booked him into the San Luis Obispo County Jail. Though informants are generally placed in protective custody, sheriff deputies locked Holland into a six man cell.

On March 22, four inmates violently attacked Holland.

The four inmates – Joshua Bradshaw, 22, of Paso Robles; Mikheal Young, 29, of Grover Beach; Joshua Dollins, 37, of San Miguel and Cameron Stumbo, 34, of Atascadero – were charged with the assault. The sheriff’s department attributes the beating to an article in the Tribune.

“When Holland came into custody, he did not report being involved in the Pierce case, nor did he disclose in the classification interview any concern for his safety or request protective custody,” said Tony Cipolla, the sheriff’s department public information officer. “The assault appeared to be the result of an article that was published in the Tribune the day before, where Holland settled a claim on the Pierce case.”

Since the assault, the sheriff’s department has placed Holland in protective custody. He is scheduled to be released on April 8, according to the sheriff’s department website.

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Soooo, a drug-dealing, two-timing snitch got his ass kicked. Can you expand your consciousness large enough to imagine that perhaps he brought it on himself by being a shithead or something?


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@racket,


Let me change your sentence just a little.


“Soooo, a drug-dealing, two-timing snitch got his ass kicked. Can you expand your consciousness large enough to imagine that perhaps “Sheriff Ian Parkinson” brought it upon Holland by being a shithead or something?


Allowing it to go to the nothing but fish wrap Trib?


After all, did not our “good” Sheriff not go after CCN in the past in a most hateful manner?


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OK. Correct me if I am wrong but this guy could double for Kurt Russell. I know its not important but a story about violence and death in our jails at the hands of our peace officers is well…..getting rather routine and well boring.


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Like most people in San Luis Obispo County, Kip Holland did not, does not read the Tribune, so he wasn’t aware that his situation had been made public. He didn’t realize that he was in more danger than he normally would have been, most likely.


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Perhaps the people he sold Cory Pierce’s bogus drugs to wanted pay back?


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I always thought those guys were registered and it popped up in front of law enforcement but if he never mentioned it he pretty much exposed himself. Having his story run in The Glib just covered up who may have snitched him off or maybe a deputy read it and…well…we’ll never know!


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This is from the Tribune article, date March 20, 2015 (assault was on March 22):


“As of Friday afternoon, Holland was being held at San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail for a probation violation. Roe, who was in custody on suspicion of burglary when the complaint was filed, was not in custody Friday, according to jail logs.”


Tribune, you are complicit in this assault.


The whole article can be read here:


http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/03/20/3548328_cory-pierce-police-officer-lawsuit.html?rh=1


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Tony Cipolla, the sheriff’s department public information officer, said, “The assault appeared to be the result of an article that was published in the Tribune the day before, where Holland settled a claim on the Pierce case.”


So if the inmates who beat him up were able to figure this out via the Tribune, why the hell couldn’t the Sheriff jail staff figure it out, or the Sheriff himself?!


Also, way to go Tribune: Publish a story about an FBI informant while he is incarcerated. F’n bonehead amatuers!


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Under Parkinson the Sheriff’s Office is having some huge problems. I dare say he is going to outdo Hedges in crappy leadership.


I imagine the hospital bill is going to cost the taxpayer big time, let alone another lawsuit.


How in the heck could custody not know that Holland was an informant?


He was in custody for 4 days and someone in the sheriff’s must have recognized him or recognized his name as related to the huge embarrasment to the San Luis Police and Sheriff’s Office for having an employee stealing drugs from the evidence locker as well as shaking down probationees.


I smell a rat!


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They just don’t care. they want to put in their 20 or so and collect their pension. In the jail, they’re not cops, they’re CO’s with a minimal amount of training and 99% of them took the job because of the relatively high pay for few skill sets. The “good ole’ boy network” is very much alive and well in that hell hole.


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I have friends who are deputies and they sheepishly tell me they wish Hedges was back!


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It’s a mean, disgusting world at the bottom of the food chain ain’t it though?


I see a movie in the future. People love this stuff.


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He looks to have character, maybe he can go from drugs to show biz, a reverse progression.


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