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SLO building inspector headed to pay-to-stay jail

August 23, 2019

Chris Olcott

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A judge formally approved on Thursday a San Luis Obispo city building inspector’s request to serve time in a Seal Beach pay-to-stay jail for an assault conviction stemming from a violent attack in a SLO County bar.

On May 28, 2016, Olcott was drinking at Mr. Rick’s in Avila Beach when he purposely bumped into Camile 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, knocking her unconscious. Olcott then punched Chavez’s companion, Isaac McCormack, in the back of the head three times. Both Chavez and McCormack suffered concussions during the assault.

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

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

On Thursday, Duffy formally approved the pay-to-stay arrangement at a San Luis Obispo Superior Court hearing. Olcott must now report to the Orange County facility on Sept. 6.

Pay-to-stay jails are safer and often offer amenities such as newer beds and flat screen televisions. Olcott’s attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, argued his client should be allowed to serve time in a pay-to-stay jail because he has received death threats due to the outrage over the video of the assault, which was originally published by CalCoastNews.

Chavez voiced frustration with the arrangement, arguing the judicial system was being overly lenient with Olcott, and he should serve his time in SLO County.

Amid public outrage over the assault, in mid-April, SLO City Manager Derek Johnson placed Olcott on paid administrative leave while the city investigated if the inspector could continue to do his job in the interest of workplace and public safety. The city has concluded its investigation, but it has yet to disclose its decision on Olcott’s employment status.

A trove of emails released under the Public Records Act exposed an unusually close relationship between Johnson and Olcott, who is a relatively low-ranked employee with a checkered work history, in addition to his assault conviction. But, in a public statement in April, Johnson said Olcott committed an “unwarranted act of violence” that was “appalling.”


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Folks- I just read the article at that link provided by obispan. If you aren’t already aware of these “pay-to-stay” jails, you really should read that article. It’s another example of the joke that our so-called “judicial” system has become. People who can afford to pay are given special treatment “jails” to spend their time in.


This punk Olcott deserves to spend his time in a real jail with the general jail population, like everybody else does.


13

“I’ll start with the mixed green salad with mandarin oranges and raspberry vinaigrette. Is the salmon fresh-caught or farmed? Never mind, I’ll have the boneless rib-eye medium rare…”


13

Don’t forget….. “put your self down for a 25% tip, and send the bill to the taxpayers”.


9

When I watch that video I see nothing but a couple serfs getting what they deserve for putting their heads too close to a low-level nobleman’s elbows and fists.


The fact that he’s even going to jail shows the extreme humility of our nobility. True, he’s a lower ranked noble than say a police officer or a connected politician, but nobility is nobility.


Serf’s: don’t push too hard. Nobility is allowed to carry weapons and protect themselves from serf-aggression/disrespect/irritation…..you’re not. If you don’t want your head pounded by an even higher ranking noble than Olcott, you’d best keep your mouths shut.


7

Guy obviously has anger issues, and if I was the suspicious type, could think local officials have tried to ameliorate his crime …


16

This guy is a prime candidate for a “Red Flag” classification. He should never be allowed to be anywhere near a firearm


29

Why do people write “flat-screen” televisions anymore? They are all flat. Been flat for, what, a decade?


0

I bed to differ. The flat-screen description is used to emphasize the potential punishment of not having a curved screen TV, something the Seal Beach Jail and other drug and alcohol-free hotels may need to look at to stay competitive in the market. You can get one for $550, probably cheaper in quantity. There was a rapper who got sentenced to a year in jail. He did the time over three years in the Redondo Beach City Jail. Most cities don’t have jails, just holding cells pending booking at county jail. The rapper reserved his stays as if at a hotel and liked to go to “chill out and compose music”. Local PD’s are looking for new facilities that may not be entirely in the budget. The Central Coast is a great place to visit, pay-to-stay city jails integrated into new facilities could close the gap. I know Grover Beach would be on board! We could even go high-end, the rapper may well have been down for $500/night with some more amenities and free pick-up/drop-off at the airport.


1

The ‘punishment’ of spending a few days at a fake jail in no-way compensates for the violence, and potential fatal injury, meted out by Olcott.


The video, for all to see leaves, no doubt that Olcott had no hesitancy cause great bodily injury.


What happened to integrity and good judgement in City Hall?


41

Integrity and good judgment left city hall about the same time Dave Romero did.


15

I will be glad to meet you and show you sub-standard work on Marsh Street that Dave Romero overruled his inspectors on and passed for Madonna Construction. The corruption is literally etched in stone.


5

Oh government worker and elected official jail…as opposed to regular jail for all of us…why didn’t they just say that?…


18

So how much does this pay-to-stay jail cost? per night. And how much of that expense will be paid for by the taxpayers of SLO? And is Olcott still on paid administrative leave and will have his job back and soon as he gets out of the country-club?


28

All of it, Olcott has been on a taxpayer paid vacation for several months,


19

Typically $110-$150/night payable by the inmate. If I got sentenced to a year I’d go low end and dip into savings for $40,000 as opposed to county jail.


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