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SLO City employee headed to cushy pay-to-stay jail

May 29, 2019

Chris Olcott

By JOSH FRIEDMAN and KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo city employee, whose unprovoked assault on a woman and a man at an Avila Beach bar caused public outrage, will serve his time behind bars at a “pay-to-stay” jail. [Cal Coast Times]

Earlier this year, Chris Olcott pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge and received 60 days in jail with a three-year suspended sentence. Which means he will spend 30 days of incarceration, 15 in jail and 15 of home detention with an electronic ankle monitor.

Olcott, however, will not be spending time in the SLO County Jail. He has the finances to pay for special jail accommodations.

County prosecutors objected to the request, but Judge Jacquelyn Duffy approved it on Tuesday on the condition that the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office also allow the pay-to-stay arrangement. The sheriff’s office approved the arrangement.

The city of Santa Ana has already accepted Olcott as a potential inmate, at $140 for the first day and $110 for every day thereafter.

Olcott’s attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, said his client has received death threats because of outrage over the video of the assault, which was originally published by CalCoastNews.

Pay-to-stay jails are safer and often offer amenities such as newer beds and flat screen televisions.

Camile Chavez, one of Olcott’s victims, is frustrated with the pay-to-stay accommodations.

“I feel he committed the crime in SLO County and he should do his time in SLO County,” Chavez said. “The judicial system has been pretty lenient up till now, and they continue to be lenient.”

On May 28, 2016, Olcott was drinking at Mr. Rick’s in Avila Beach when he purposely bumped into Chavez, a special education teacher at Righetti High School. After he pushed her a second time, Chavez pushed back.

Within seconds, Olcott hit Chavez in the temple with his elbow, which knocked her unconscious.

Olcott then punched Chavez’s companion, Isaac McCormack, in the back of the head three times. Both Chavez and McCormick suffered concussions during the assault.

More than a year ago, city administrators discovered that Olcott had been arrested on felony and misdemeanor battery charges. Even so, Community Development Director Michael Codron awarded Olcott a promotion and a raise.

After CalCoastNews posted the video of the assault, city administrators placed Olcott on paid administrative leave while an outside investigator reviews the incident and Olcott’s past behavioral issues including a prior complaint of hostility towards a co-worker, a co-worker said.


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I just read about the Pay to Stay Jails. They are suppose to be for NON Violent Criminals! How it is Judge Duffy allows this Violent offender to go there?


29

It’s been known for a long time that Judge Duffy protects the special class. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t “worked” so Judge Duffy would be overseeing this case. Next will be Olcott filing with the court to expunge his record, or whatever to make this assault like it never happened.


19

Because Jacquelyn Duffy is in complete agreement that the Messicans did not belong there and that a white person is to be excused for assaulting them.


5

Wow! HE gets a Vacation? Hmmm go hide out, not be bothered.Peace and quiet,.got your TV and a good book. Heck, I’m sure he will even get his food brought to him! This is a Stay-Cation! This isn’t punishment! He should be sleeping on a cot, smelling the stinky feet of the guy next to him. Drink only the dirty water that makes you sick.NO Privacy, Contemplate how to survive time with the other criminals.

Instead he gets PEACE, REST, All the TV and food he wants? HE is Rewarded with a VACATION!


24

They should have thrown the book at this clown. Another instance of a two tiered justice system where the well connected get a pass on their crimes. If this joker were Joe citizen he would be doing quite a stretch in the slammer, loss of employment and it would not have taken the public to protest.


33

I predicted this in first article about this guy.He’s going to also use this as a tax deduction and his defense fund also .He won’t learn from his pay to stay as it will be like being on house arrest at a hotel ….Buttt on a positive note he will get crimnally more bold now that he has mind set he can beat the system .. So in future he’ll be doing real incarceration


29

So he will pay a little under $2,000 to be “housed” for 15 days to complete his sentence… I would say that if this saves the taxpayers some $$, that’s the silver lining in a situation where everyone sensed inadequate justice was served. I doubt that it’s like a hotel though at that rate. I HOPE the victims receive some financial recompense for all the suffering caused. But overall, this outrage is a bit misdirected.


-16

I say throw this clown and the Chump fireman who hit Al over the head from behind with a bottle into a caged ring and let them beat on each other. Sounds pretty fair to me as they will see one another coming unlike their chickenshat assaults on innocent bystanders.


40

Since when does a woman beater get to choose the terms of his punishment? Poor decision making for female Judge Jacquelyn Duffy.


49

Folks,


Recall Judge Jacquelyn Duffy.


This nonsense of allowing Chris Olcott the easy way out needs to stop, and people like Judge Jacquelyn Duffy give the judiciary a bad name. Mr. Olcott intentionally and purposefully hit a defenseless woman, and the failed lawyer Ilan Funke-Bilu is wrong to give voice to a racist dog whistle.


The City of San Luis Obispo shows its hypocrisy in even allowing Mr. Olcott to maintain his employment, and people like Heidi Harmon show their hypocrisy when they talk about supporting #MeToo, and then washing their hands of the fact that their own employee ig guilty of viciously assaulting a defenseless female. If the Progressive hypocrites on the SLO City Council will not act in this case, they are forever dismissed as a credible voice on women’s issues, and the fact that people like Dawn Addis and the other so-called leaders of the SLO Women’s March crowd have been SILENT on the attack on Camile Chavez just shows that they have little regard for people of color.


SLO City should fire Chris Olcott.


57

100%


12

How do we do this? Lets do it!


5

SLO City is corrupt beyond what you know and cannot throw stones, i.e. fire Olcott, in their glass house. That is why Harmon/Addis (Morro Bay?, doesn’t matter) are silent. Maybe SLO City employees should be encouraged to behave this way if it shuts up Harmon this effectively.


5

Plus I’d bet he’ll be on paid vacation, like he has been so far, while serving his time so we the taxpayers will pay for that too.


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