A man long named as a person of interest in the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart was arrested in Southern California on a firearms charge, according to reports.
Paul Flores was arrested in the Los Angeles area on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the New York Post reported. CalCoastNews reported that he was released on bail soon after. The gun charge is separate from the Smart case, and Flores has not been charged in her disappearance.
Kristin was a 19 year old Cal Poly student when she vanished in May 1996 after an off campus party. Her body has never been found, and she was later declared legally dead in 2002.
Paul has long been identified as the last known person to see her. He was questioned by investigators in 1996 and was never charged. He has said he walked Kristin toward her dorm that night and has denied any involvement in her disappearance. San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s investigators served a search warrant at his Southern California home in April 2020 as part of the ongoing investigation, and reports said the gun arrest grew out of that search.
Authorities have said they hope to gather evidence that could help answer what happened to Kristin. No statement from Paul’s attorney about the weapons arrest was included in the coverage available at the time.
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