Patience while SLO County prosecutors investigate complaints of rioting

July 24, 2020

Statement by San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow regarding the arrests of Tianna Arata and Elias Bautista

I know that many in our community are very interested in this situation. At this time, I would like to respectfully ask all who are concerned to please be patient and allow us to complete our duty in a fair, thoughtful, and thorough manner. Our obligation is to be objective and to not make charging decisions on the basis of public opinion.

Please know that it is premature for the District Attorney’s Office to make any determination on the case that is currently being investigated by the San Luis Obispo Police Department regarding the facts of the arrests of Ms. Tianna Arata and Mr. Elias Bautista. Once law enforcement agencies have concluded their investigation(s), they will likely refer the case(s) to our office for review.

Only at that time will we be able to conduct our independent evaluation of the evidence and make a factual determination of whether criminal charges should be filed in Court.

It would be inappropriate and counterproductive for this office to provide an opinion at this time based on social media posts or media reports that may or may not be borne out by the evidence (facts) gathered in the pending investigation(s). We will carefully and thoroughly examine all of the evidence submitted before making any final determination.


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He is doing what a cat does in a cat box…..covering it over…..


I really do want to believe you Dow, I really do. But it feels like this is an excuse for kicking the can down the road and eventually out of sight. If you let this ‘protester’ get away with kicking a cop in the crotch I don’t think I could ever support you again. Some people in this county still expect justice. Be part of that or get out of the way.


After the first protest, I noticed police were becoming more considerate in their words and actions.


This could have led to a discussion on ways to help police and prosecutors be more connected to the entire community. People with children are often afraid to call for domestic abuse issues, because social workers will take their children, claiming neglect for getting into the situation. Prosecutors then go for the win, and judges don’t care what parents have to say. We need to get back to tolerance of others and treating everyone like a member of our community.


But instead, lawless local protesters are promoting intolerance, division, and anger. If they have broken the law, while attempting to intimidate members of our community, they should be prosecuted.


While I do believe we need reform of the justice system — release body cams and equal justice for everyone — I agree with Dan Dow wanting to review the evidence before making a decision. It is called seeking justice!


And why would anyone believe the protesters take on the event, other then the Tribune, after they lied about their plans to illegally enter the freeway?


And I do not support a group who stomps on the rights of others regardless of the reason. I do not support bullying people who have done nothing to you. At a time many people are struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, this is costing a ton of money for goverment and private businesses. I understand the outrage over George Floyd’s death, but not the tactics this group employs.


She has a gofundme that had raised thousands of dollars. She’ll be fine.

I didn’t know gofundme was meant to raise money for literally anything. I’m feeling bad for all the cancer patients and people in need of life saving surgeries I have seen that haven’t even come close to reaching their donation goals.


If some way you could label the cancers as extreme leftwing, they’d be fully funded.


“ We will carefully and thoroughly examine all of the evidence submitted before making any final determination.”


Like in the case of the IWMA? Bill Worrell and Charles run free after pilfering tens of millions of dollars from the taxpayers here in SLO. How do you justify that, Dow?