Felon terrorizes San Luis Obispo neighborhood

May 5, 2026

Gabriel Canaday at a neighbor’s home in San Luis Obispo

By KAREN VELIE

Neighbors near the airport in San Luis Obispo are living in fear of an alleged delusional felon who was arrested three times in less than three months for charges that include a naked burglary. Even so, less than two months after his latest arrest he is slated to be released.

Neighbors are concerned that Gabriel Canaday will continue to burglarize, harass and trespass. Neighbors, some who are armed, plan to  defend themselves if he enters their homes.

On Feb. 21, an officer arrested 48-year-old Canaday for drunk driving. A month later, deputies arrested Canaday for attempting to enter a secure area of the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport and for driving with a suspended license.

The Transportation Security Administration responded by issuing a security alert for local air fields to be on the lookout for Canaday and his truck.

“This individual has repeatedly shown up at airports and attempted to access airfields through vehicle gates, keypads, or by visiting FBO’s,” according to the alert. “He has used the name John Jacob and, in the past, has inquired about flights going to Europe.”

Several days after he was released from the SLO County Jail, on April 1, a naked Canaday walked onto an 88-year-old woman’s property, entered her garage and took a shower.

He then wrapped a bath towel around his waist and knocked on the woman’s back door. When the woman asked Canaday what he wanted, he said a “pair of pants.”

On the same day, he had attempted to enter a garage at a local business telling a worker he was looking for his plane.

Deputies arrested Canaday, who was later charged with felony second degree burglary.

During the past 15 years, law enforcement arrested Canaday dozens of times regarding 49 charges that include assault, disobeying a restraining order, contempt of court, under the influence of a controlled substance, trespass and felon in possession of a gun and ammunition.

In 2019, for six months Canaday repeatedly trespassed on Tobin James Winery property and harassed and intimidated Tobin James Shumrick, his employees and patrons. Canaday, who lived across the street at the time, accused Shumrick of holding his wife and children hostage and torturing them.

Canaday was trespassing on winery property on a near-daily basis and sometimes at night. At times, he used his car to block employees from leaving the parking lot. Canaday also fired weapons from his property and made vague threats.

On Oct. 2, 2019, Canaday was driving a golf cart on Tobin James Cellars property when Shumrick used a shotgun to shoot out the tires of the golf cart.

Law enforcement arrested Shumrick for felony shooting at an occupied vehicle, misdemeanor vandalism and misdemeanor hit-and-run. Shumrick claims to have acted in self-defense and that his winery was under attack by an out-of-control neighbor with an extensive criminal history.

Shumrick’s charges were eventually reduced to one count of vandalism.

In less than four months in early 2024, law enforcement arrested Canaday three time for charges that include being under the influence of drugs, giving false information, trespass and refusing to leave another person’s property.

On April 16, SLO County Superior Court Judge Michael Duffy reduced the felony burglary case to a misdemeanor after the preliminary hearing allowing Canaday to avoid future supervision by probation.

On April 29, SLO County Superior Court Judge Barry LaBarbera took pleas to all of Canaday’s charges of burglary, trespassing and DUI and sentenced him to serve 120 days in the SLO County Jail.

He is scheduled to be released on May 20.

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