San Luis Obispo serial vandal busted while out on bail, facing prison time

February 11, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

A 47-year-old serial vandal from San Luis Obispo is headed to prison after he was busted for being a felon in possession of ammunition while out on bail on a vandalism charge.

During the past 14 years, law enforcement in San Luis Obispo County has arrested Rye Daniel Wardlaw 19 times, including seven arrests on vandalism charges. Other charges include, theft, drunk in public and felon in possession of a firearm.

On Nov. 2, 2024, SLO officers arrested Wardlaw for allegedly throwing a lock through the window of a local business and for damaged a downtown parking pay machine with a golf club. Wardlaw then bailed out of jail.

He, however, failed to appear in court.

On Nov. 17, officers arrested Wardlaw for failure to appear. During a search of Wardlaw’s backpack officers found 55 live rounds of .22 caliber ammunition.  No gun was found.

Wardlaw pleaded not guilty and elected to have a jury trial on the ammunition case. The jury found him guilty on Feb. 7. The jury also found true a special allegation that he was out on bail in a separate felony case when he was found with the 55 rounds of ammunition.

After the jury convicted Wardlaw in the ammunition case, he pleaded no contest to the felony vandalism case for which he was out on bail.

Wardlaw faces a maximum sentence of 5 years and 8 months in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 5.