SLO County district attorney and winery owner bury the hatchet

April 14, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

After a contentious couple of years, Paso Robles winemaker Tobin James Shumrick and San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow have buried the hatchet with the help of radio personality Adam Montiel.

For six months, Shumrick contended with a delusional neighbor who regularly trespassed on the Tobin James Winery property, where he harassed employees and customers. During one encounter, Shumrick shot the trespassing neighbor’s tire, leading to a vandalism conviction against Shumrick.

Following the conviction, Shumrick, who was upset that it took months before his harasser was convicted, placed four ads in the SLO New Times asking people not to vote for Dow in the upcoming election.

Montiel contacted Dow and Shumrick, two men he has good relationships with, and they agreed to meet in Paso Robles. Both Shumrick and Dow then discussed their positions, while listening to the other side. In the end, the men buried the hatchet.

“To see both these bold and assertive men, set aside pride, ego, even the reverberations of their supporters, to listen with openness, share, all while never having to sacrifice where they were coming from was admirable and an example we wouldn’t mind seeing more of these days,” Montiel said.

Dow is grateful to Montiel for helping them to clear the air and possibly form a new friendship.

“I am grateful to my friend Adam Montiel for brokering this productive meeting between me and Tobin James Shumrick,” Dow said. “We were able to listen to each other respectfully and this led to clearing the air of prior assumptions and misunderstandings. I assured Tobin that I do not hold grudges and that I consider this all behind us. It turns out that we have more in common than we might have thought. I believe that this is the beginning of a new long-term friendship.”