Lawsuit Alleges Ruben Flores Moved Kristin Smart’s Body After 2020 Search of His Home
Civil lawsuit filed by parents of long-missing Cal Poly student claims father aided murder suspect Paul Flores in hiding remains
The home of Ruben Flores in the 700 block of White Court in Arroyo Grande was searched by San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies on March 15, 2021, in relation to the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Flores is the father of Paul Flores, the only suspect in the case. A civil lawsuit filed against Ruben Flores alleges he hid and recently moved the missing student’s remains from the property. (David Middlecamp / San Luis Obispo Tribune photo)
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Hearings continued April 21 to determine a bail amount for Ruben Flores, who San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow charged with accessory to murder in the suspected killing of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in 1996.
Ruben Flores is the father of Paul Flores, who is being charged with first degree murder in the Smart case.
Judge Craig Van Rooyen reduced Ruben Flores’ bail from $250,000 to $50,000. The judge said that he would revisit the bail amount if Flores’ ability to afford the amount changes.
The bail comes with conditions, including that Ruben Flores obey all laws, stay in San Luis Obispo County, turn over his expired passport to the court within 24 hours of his release from custody and submit to electronic ankle monitoring by the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department.
Ruben Flores, suspected of helping cover up Kristin Smart s murder, released on bail
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Defendants Paul Flores, top left, and his father Ruben Flores, bottom center, appear via video conference during their arraignment in the Kristin Smart case, April 15, 2021, in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.Nic Coury/AP
Ruben Flores, who investigators say helped his son Paul cover up the murder of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, has been released after a judge lowered his bail.
San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Craig Van Rooyen set bail at $50,000 for Ruben Flores, 80, who has pleaded not guilty to accessory after murder in Smart s death. Paul Flores, 44, has pleaded not guilty to murder and is being held without bail.
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During Monday’s hearing, Peuvrelle countered an argument by Paul Flores’ attorney Robert Sanger by telling Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen that “there’s substantial new evidence” from recent property searches that support the charges in the case.
Van Rooyen denied bail for Paul Flores.
Ruben Flores’ Bail Report
Peuvrelle also opposed any bail for Ruben Flores, whose release “would constitute an imminent risk to public safety,” he said.
“Ruben Flores has repeatedly lied over the course of 24 years and has been uncooperative with law enforcement with the specific intent of aiding Paul Flores escape prosecution,” Peuvrelle is quoted as saying in the county probation bail report. “The excavation below his deck at 710 White Court showed damning evidence that a body had been buried in that location and then recently moved.”
Kristin Smart s body was recently moved from Flores home, prosecutors allege
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Deputies from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff s Office searched the home of Ruben Flores, father of Paul Flores, in Arroyo Grande, Calif., on March 15, 2021. Paul Flores is the prime suspect in the 1996 disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart.San Luis Obispo Sheriff s Office/Handout
In court documents filed this week, prosecutors in the Kristin Smart case made a startling allegation: that the Cal Poly student s body was buried for decades under the deck of Ruben Flores home, but as the walls closed in on him, he recently moved her remains.