The father of the man police say killed Kristin Smart and hid her body was released from a San Luis Obispo County jail after posting bail Wednesday evening, authorities said.
Bail for Ruben Flores, 80, was reduced from $250,000 to $50,000 after San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Craig Van Rooyen determined the higher amount was unreasonable. Flores has pleaded not guilty to accessory after the fact, accused of helping his son, Paul Flores, dispose of Smart’s body following her 1996 disappearance.
In requesting the lower bail, Ruben Flores’ attorney, Harold Mersick, said the Arroyo Grande man had an array of potentially life-threatening ailments and that the usual bail for such an offense is $20,000. As part of his bail conditions, Flores agreed to surrender his passport.
Flores and his son were arrested last week, nearly 25 years after Smart went missing while walking back to her dorm at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo after a college party. Paul Flores remains in jail on a murder charge. Prosecutors say he killed Smart in his dorm room as he sexually assaulted the 19-year-old student.
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