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T H U R S DAY, J U LY 15 , 2 0 21
SLO judge rejects rape charges in Kristin Smart case
Back on stage Theater Group at SBCC to entertain its first live audience since March 2020
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen denied the addition of two Los Angeles County rape charges in the case against Paul Flores. Deputy District Attorney Christopher Peuvrelle motioned to include the outof-county charges during a hearing Wednesday afternoon — the first court appearance Paul Flores and his father Ruben Flores made inperson. Judge van Rooyen said the rape charges lacked evidence and may prejudice a jury. But according to a Los Angeles Times report, Los Angeles County detectives linked DNA evidence from the rape cases to Paul Flores. The San Luis Obispo Tribune previously obtained a probation report containing claims of sexual assault and predatory behavior by Mr. Flores, stemming 25 years.
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
A power pole near Refugio Road and State Route 246 hangs between neighboring poles after a car crashed into it Wednesday morning.
Car crash causes Santa Ynez outage
email: ahanshaw@newspress. com
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A total of 701 PG&E customers in the Santa Ynez area lost power Wednesday after a car ran into a power pole at around 7:50 a.m. The driver, a 17-year-old male from Lompoc, told California Highway Patrol officers he had fallen asleep while driving. No drugs or alcohol were involved, according to CHP.
The driver was heading east on State Route 246, near Refugio Road, when he drove off the road. He, the sole occupant of the vehicle, did not suffer much injury. Power was restored to some customers around 3 p.m., but 464 customers were without electricity most of the day. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com Please see PHOTO on B4
D.A.’s Office plans for Neighborhood Court program in Goleta Valley By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
performers stood on a stage and looked out at empty seats. That changes tonight, and that means everything to Ms. Laris. “It’s because you’re sharing the same moment in time. It means every single member of the audience impacts the experience, as does every single member of the cast and every single member of the crew,” Ms. Laris told the NewsPress this week. No two performances are the same, she noted. “If an audience comes in and they’re in a good mood, that affects the performance. If that’s not the case,
As part of Santa Barbara County’s ongoing effort to reform the criminal justice system, the District Attorney’s Office is preparing to launch a Neighborhood Court pilot program in the Goleta Valley. The program is designed to offer alternatives to charges and incarceration for low-level offenders. The pilot program, which is still under development, will convene a panel of volunteers who will work with individuals accused of a low-level crime, such as a lowlevel misdemeanor or infraction, and divert them from the criminal justice system. To qualify for the program, offenders must accept responsibility for their actions and admit wrongdoing. Then they will meet with a neighborhood coordinator and community panel
Please see STAGE on A4
Please see JUSTICE on A4
COURTESY PHOTO
Hannah Robinson, Angela Delgado Zevallos, Vivian Leilani Shay and Ciara Tolliver perform in The Theatre Group at SBCC’s production of “Here We Go Again! A Musical Revue,” which opens tonight.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
COURTESY PHOTOS
At top, Paul Flores was arrested April 13 for the alleged murder of Kristin Smart. Above, Ruben Flores is facing a charge of accessory to murder.
Katie Laris has reason to celebrate. After all, she and the rest of The Theatre Group at SBCC will hear laughter, see a big room full of smiles and enjoy enthusiastic applause. Tonight — drum roll, please — their live audience is back. “There’s no way to describe how incredible it is, to be a performer with a live audience,” said Ms. Laris, director of “Here We Go Again! A Musical Revue.” It’s the first Theatre Group at SBCC production with a live audience
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NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
“Creating new opportunities like the Neighborhood Court that can get (offenders) the mentoring and coaching and help that they need is the foundation of a system of restorative justice that helps people rather than punishes them,” 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart told the NewsPress.
L O T T E RY RESULTS
INSIDE Classified.............. B4 Life.................... B 1-2 Obituaries............. A4
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since the pandemic interrupted the troupe’s performance of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” in March 2020. Tonight, it’s a different story as the theater group celebrates its 75th anniversary and the state’s reopening with a varied revue of Broadway song-and-dance numbers at the Garvin Theatre at Santa Barbara City College’s west campus. Curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The troupe adapted the pandemic with filmed productions of an earlier musical revue and a radio play adaptation of “The Thin Man,” but in both cases, the
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-15-28-38-39 Meganumber: 18
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 6-3-1-0
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-10-17-26-55 Meganumber: 24
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 6-15-18-19-29
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 02-12-10 Time: 1:40.86
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 33-46-52-59-62 Meganumber: 10
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 9-7-1 / Wednesday’s Midday 6-5-4