February, 2020

3 Mule man leaves SLO County, prosecutors decline request for charges

By CCT STAFF The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office has declined a request from the CHP to file criminal charges against a 72-year-old nomad who officers arrested in Paso Robles last month. John Sears has wandered throughout California... (Continue reading)

Paul Flores detained in disappearance of Kristin Smart

By CCT STAFF As part of the Kristin Smart case, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents served search warrants at four separate locations Wednesday morning, including the Southern California home of Paul Flores and the Arroyo Grande... (Continue reading)

SLO City Council members award themselves large raises

By CCT STAFF The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to grant itself a large pay increase, with council members receiving a 63 percent raise and the mayor getting a 46 percent bump in compensation. Base pay for... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles police shoot taser at hit-and-run driver

By CCT Paso Robles police officers subdued a violent hit-and-run suspect with a taser on Tuesday. Shortly after 11 a.m., callers reported a car crashed into a parked truck on Paso Robles Street near Highway 101. Following the crash, the... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles winery owner accused of shooting neighbor’s golf cart

By CCT STAFF San Luis Obispo County prosecutors have filed charges against the founder of Paso Robles winery Tobin James Cellars for allegedly shooting the wheels of a neighbor’s golf cart and vandalizing his truck during a violent confrontation last... (Continue reading)

SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill is a hypocrite

OPINION by T. KEITH GURNEE On the first of this month, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill sent out a vicious email blast from his personal computer excoriating his opponent Stacy Korsgaden. Then, after attacking her, he closed by... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo City Council seeks a 63 percent pay raise

By CCT STAFF Despite the city’s distressing financial situation, on Tuesday the San Luis Obispo City Council will consider granting members a 63 percent pay raise and the mayor a 46 percent increase in compensation, according to the agenda. At... (Continue reading)

Man convicted of sexually molesting Arroyo Grande girl

By CCT STAFF Nearly a decade after the initial crime occurred, a Santa Maria man has been convicted of sexually molesting a then-pre-teen girl in Grover Beach. When Jay Vee Batul Estoque was 20 years old and the victim was... (Continue reading)

Couple arrested in Morro Bay for identity theft and counterfeiting

By CCT STAFF A traffic stop in Morro Bay Saturday evening led to the arrest of a man and a woman from Bakersfield on a host of charges related to identity theft and counterfeiting. Shortly before 8 p.m., an officer... (Continue reading)

Days of yore in the San Luis Obispo County courthouse

OPINION by JIM DUENOW After graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School and serving three years as a JAG officer at Oxnard Air Force Base, I came to San Luis Obispo in 1965. I went to work for a... (Continue reading)