Paul Flores arrested in connection with Kristin Smart case

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — A man named Paul Flores was taken into custody Tuesday morning in San Pedro, California, reportedly in connection with the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart.

Paul's father, Ruben Flores, was also reportedly taken into custody at around the same time at his home in Arroyo Grande, California. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's officials are serving another search warrant at the Arroyo Grande property Tuesday morning.

KSBY reached out to Paul Flores's attorney, Robert Sanger. He told the TV station that he does not comment on pending cases.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is expected to announce "major" new developments in the Smart case Tuesday afternoon.

Smart was a freshman at Cal Poly when she disappeared back in 1996. According to witnesses, she was last seen with fellow student Paul Flores after leaving an off-campus fraternity party in San Luis Obispo and walking back to her dorm.

Early on in the investigation, Flores was identified as a person of interest in Smart’s disappearance. For the first time just last month, sheriff’s officials referred to him as the “prime suspect” in the case.

That revelation came as sheriff’s investigators served a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Flores’s father, Ruben Flores. At around 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, multiple unmarked law enforcement vehicles were again spotted outside Ruben's home. Officials at the scene told KSBY they are serving another search warrant.

Detectives spent two days, March 15 and 16, searching the property on White Court using cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar and digging in several spots outside the house. They also hauled away an old Volkswagen.

It was the third search targeting Paul Flores and his family in just over a year. In February 2020, his parents’ and sister’s homes were searched on the same day detectives searched Paul’s home in San Pedro. Digital devices were reportedly seized. In April 2020, the San Pedro property was searched a second time.

In February of this year, Paul was arrested on a weapons charge that sheriff’s officials said was the result of information obtained during the 2020 searches. However, investigators have not yet revealed whether any evidence related to the Kristin Smart case was found.

May 25, 2021 marks 25 years since Kristin’s disappearance. While her body has never been found, she was declared legally dead on May 25, 2002. She would have been 44 years old this past February.