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SLO County prosecutors have video evidence of Flores’ sexual assaults

April 16, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN and KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office disclosed their intent on Wednesday to provide the defense with video and audio evidence of sexual abuse Paul Flores allegedly committed before he was charged this week with the murder of Kristin Smart, according to the charging document.

Prosecutors plan to use the evidence to make the case that Paul Flores has a propensity for sexually assaulting women.

The district attorney’s office referred to the videos and investigation reports as evidence of “prior sexual acts” and other “incidents of abuse.” Evidence of prior sexual acts may be used in court to show a propensity for sexual offenses, according to California’s Evidence Code 1108.

SLO County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Paul Flores, 44, the primary suspect in the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart, and his father Ruben Flores, 80, earlier this week. Paul Flores is charged with murder while his father is charged as an accessory after the fact.

Kristin Smart

District Attorney Dan Dow said at a press conference on Wednesday his office suspects Flores killed Smart while raping or attempting to rape her.

Over the past two years, detectives served multiple search warrants at the homes of Paul Flores and his father. During the raids, investigators gathered evidence, including electronics, some of which they said will be used at trial.

In 2013, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office reviewed a rape allegation against Paul Flores stemming from an incident in Redondo Beach, but decided there was not enough evidence, according to the LA Times.

In 2016, the Daily Beast reported four women had come forward with accusations Paul Flores sexually assaulted them. The alleged incidents occurred between 1994 and approximately 2002 in both San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles counties.

Paul Flores is currently under investigation for two alleged sexual assaults that occurred in Los Angeles during that past few years, according to the LA Times. Law enforcement sent both cases to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for review.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Dow said Paul Flores may have sexually assaulted victims in his community of San Pedro or elsewhere in the Los Angeles area. Prosecutors are asking anyone with information on sexual assaults or other crimes possibly perpetrated by Paul Flores to contact SLO County Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-7867.

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A college coed was raped and murdered. Local LEA investigators (Cal State, local PD, County Sheriff) interviewed the likely suspects, last person to see her, her potential boyfriend, some college friends. The chief investigator, a local officer indicated that in situations like this, the likely suspect is the murderer. In this case they focused on another college student. They brought the student in questioned him over and over again, put all pressure imaginable on him, branded him a rapist and murderer in the local tabloids, harassed his friends and family. He lost his job, his friends believed the investigators rhetoric and they turned their backs on him; family shunned him, his self-value went out the door, and much more. He was branded for life as a murderer and rapist. As the investigation continued local LEA continued to press on him, his family and anyone who knew him. They in effect completely isolated him from any emotional support. As they interviewed him, local LEA told him what happened as if he did it, over and over again and again. Depression, thoughts of suicide and much more entered his mind as he struggled with what was happening to him and the death of his friend became less important. Now this sounds just like the Kristen Smart case doesn’t it. However, it is factual and it involved another college coed. Nearly 6 months into it, he was brought into another interrogation. In that interrogation he learned that the FBI in cooperation with local LEA had arrested a suspect, Craig Allen Peyer, a 13 year veteran CHP Officer. Peyer had pulled over the co-ed on a secluded off ramp raped her violently and dumped her body down a ravine. Local LEA advised the young man who was brought in to be informed of what they discovered that “we needed to distract Mr. Peyer and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you”. Inconvenience, really!

Somehow in that LEA officers mind using someone as a pawn, shamming them in the press, branding them as a rapist murderer was all an acceptable practice of good LEA investigation practices. The young FBI agent, said this was the worse handling of a murder investigation he had ever seen and the tactics of the local PD were all about distracting the public, covering up the crime to protect the image of the local LEA, because the image of the Department was more important than solving the crime, much less destroying the life of an innocent pawn. The victim’s name was Cara Knott and she was amazing. The actions of the LEA and DA’s office destroyed the life of an innocent pawn. Trust of people, the system went out the door, self-value was gone and any drive to do anything had been crushed forever. He was now a victim and had been victimized for 6 months.

Now, back to Kristen Smart has local LEA looked at their own personnel in this matter? Who was on duty that night in SLO PD? What officer continues to press this matter against Paul Flores with apparently no evidence, throwing everything he can at this person whether guilty or innocent at him on the national press level? If there was a body at the house they would have found it. If there were videos then they would have been made public like everything else that Parkinson and Dow have done. What local LEA officer has been labelled a liar as an expert witness? What local LEA officer used his position of trust to hire he and his wife’s personal friend, falsify her credentials to get her a high paying county job? What local LEA officer has a proclivity for blondes? What local LEA officer led a program at SLO PD called poundage that violated heavy set individuals constitutional rights and was a blatant program about discrimination and an ADA violation. What local LEA Department has lied in the past to cover up the misconduct of their own and falsified reports to protect the image of the Department? “A total of 11 current and former law enforcement officers have been charged with and convicted of crimes in San Luis Obispo County since 2013, according to records obtained by UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program” as of November 13, 2019, including multiple chief of police.

Step back and examine the evidence people. Flores has issues, but wouldn’t we all like to see the real murderer arrested and convicted whoever he may be. Whether it is Flores or someone else, the truth is what matters and to date the SLO PD, Cal Poly PD and SLO County Sheriff Departments have blundered this investigation for 25 years and who has been leading the charge?


10

Following the search warrant and excavation at Ruben Flores’ house sheriffs detectives presented evidence to a judge that convinced him probable cause exists to arrest Paul and Ruben both. What could that evidence be? I don’t know but whatever it was it had to be compelling enough to convince the judge to issue arrest warrants and authorize a second search of Rubens house. This time the detectives were authorized to tear off the back deck of the house so they could dig further for evidence.

Detectives found video evidence in the search of Paul’s house that indicates he likes to drug and rape women. Apparently video taping it so he can relive the moments.

I am betting he didn’t suddenly get that idea after he moved away from SLO. Maybe Kristen was his first victim. Maybe others will come forward now that he is locked up.

The only injustice here is that apparently a monster was allowed to roam free for 24 years.


27

If Reuben Flores had been a good father, he would have driven his son Paul to the SLO police station in the early morning on May 26th 1996 when he received the phone call in the middle of the night from from Paul asking for help because he had killed Kristin. Paul should have made a full confession and never attempted to cover up the crime. Kristin’s parents would still have been devastated but they would have been allowed to honor and bury their daughter and grieve as all parents who lose a child should be allowed to grieve. Paul would have probably been given a 25 year to life sentence and with Reuben and Susan’s support and frequent visits, they could have encouraged him to finish his college education in prison. Loving great parents would have continued to love and support him and Paul could have utilized the rehabilitation programs available in CDCR. With time off for good behavior he would possibly be a free man now and still have a full life ahead of him. At 44 he could have become a contributing member of society for many years to come. Instead he and his parents took the cowards way out. The Flores parents chose to hide and cover for him enabling him to learn nothing and make nothing of his life in the past 25 years except continue to prey on women and achieve the honor of getting 7 DUI’s. Reuben spent the last 25 years becoming a paranoid hermit and a liar, liar, liar. Susan is a bitter ugly person who has the nerve to sue the Smart’s for causing her and her boyfriend emotional distress. Good grief!! How low can a person become!!


They are the worst possible parents. Someone in one of the posts asked “what would you do for your child”. Well they chose all the things that only a horrible parent would choose. He was only 19 and they probably still had a lot of influence over his decisions. All of their lives have obviously been miserable for the past 25 years and all of the pain and distress they have caused the Smarts’ is unforgivable. But in the end good wins. Despite their horrific situation the Smart’s have a solid marriage and wonderful children and grandchildren that bring them great joy. On the other hand if justice takes place Paul will spend the rest of his already miserable life in prison, Reuben will probably die in a dingy prison hospital all alone, and Susan will probably see her day in court too. They are coming for you Susan….tick, tick, tick. Wonder if your boyfriend will be faithfully waiting for you when you are behind bars.


42

In reply to Iron Hub ….Los Angeles has about 18 to 20 million people in its population .How many guys look like Flores out of those 18 to 20 ? Do they have DNA from attack ? If the video is so convincing then why wasn’t Flores charged ?


-15

If Flores did do the assaults then he should be convicted .If these out of the blue accusers are lying to get fame or to provide convictions as sympathisers to Smarts case not good .Looking back at our past Presidents , Weinstein ,and the New York governor , Justices of our Supreme court etc etc …Accusers are just that Accusers …The bar of proof is set very low for convictions that are alleged in this news story .The judge ordered a gag order on the Smart case , so DA is using a different angle to go around the judges ruling on not tampering with the jury pool in the Smart case .This whole entire group of cases/charges surrounding Flores is a fiasco for both sides and the DA is using the shotgun approach ….The best resolve will be for the suspects to break down or be broke down publicly in court and confess to the charges


-29

Read the article. The law has videos allegedly taken by Flores himself during his encounters. The “accusers” here are digital. No he-said-she-said. Get a grip.


38

WTF? Why has law enforcement allowed this scumbag to continue to roam the streets? Complete failure on their part. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Dow fumbles this (as Sneddon did in the Michael Jackson case) and Flores walks.


-49

It appears Paul Flores is a sexual predator. From officers in Arroyo Grande determining a teen who claimed he raped her was to drunk to be a credible witness, to the Cal Poly Police screwing up, to the LA County DA deciding there was not enough evidence of rape for the Redondo Beach victim, this predator has been able to continue attacking women for almost 30 years.


74

Steve Moss made sure the story of Kristin Smart’s disapperance stayed front and center in the New Times and that the matter remained a topic of discussion. The blog gets current credit for the same. If Steve were alive today, he would have figured out a way to have an effective and profitable blog.


22

If Poly University Police had not been inept in their 1996 “investigation,” this would never have happened to other women.


92

Why does Poly even have state police with its own chief on campus? Not all CSU and UC campuses have that. They have security guards (not sworn state police) and sheriffs’ substations. A waste of $$$ and worse, locally…


21

That’s a good question. Cal Poly realized in 1993 that their on-campus Fire Department was really just a waste of resources and that it made a lot more sense to just pay the City of SLO to drive onto campus for fire responses. They should realize the same thing with regards to their Police Department. It is huge and expensive, with many layers of bureaucracy that add nothing to Cal Poly’s mission.


22

Poly should contract with SLO County and have a small sub-station. Ridiculous to have there own PD.


13

The Cal Poly Police were not “inept”. A good employee doesn’t have to ask what the boss wants. Cal Poly wants its image squeaky clean, at all costs.


25