Updated: 1:57 PM PDT Apr 13, 2021
KCRA Staff
Paul Flores, who was recently named the prime suspect in the 1996 disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart, was arrested Tuesday, authorities confirm. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson has scheduled a news conference at 2 p.m. at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to discuss "major developments in the investigation.">> Watch the news conference LIVE in the player above.Flores, 44, is facing a murder charge, according to online inmate details from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. He was taken into custody in the Los Angeles area. A spokesperson for Smart's family confirms Flores was taken into custody in connection with the Kristin Smart case. Paul Flores' father, 80-year-old Ruben Flores, was arrested as an accessory at his Arroyo Grande home. Smart, 19, of Stockton, vanished while returning to a dorm at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, after a party. She was seen with Flores, who also was a student. Investigators conducted digs on the campus in 2016. A search warrant was served at Flores' home in the San Pedro area last April.In February, Flores was arrested on a weapons charge unrelated to the Kristin Smart case. Then in March, investigators were authorized to use cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar at Ruben Flores' home in Arroyo Grande. Paul Flores has remained mum through the years, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions before a grand jury and in a deposition for a lawsuit that was brought against him. — The Associated Press contributing reporting. This is a breaking news story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.