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SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXV, NO. II
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024
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Loyd’s Aviation selected as FBO provider for Paso Robles Municipal Airport Día de los Muertos event coming to Paso Robles City Park By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
(From left) Cmdr. Ricky Lehr, Motor Officer Chris Hart, Motor Officer Tyler Pierce, Ofc. Joshua Martinez, Ofc. Colton Anderson, Sergeant Joshua Hermanson, and Cmdr. Caleb Davis. Photo by Camille DeVaul
North County law enforcement agencies welcome three new officers on June 5 Recruits graduated from Allan Hancock College’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
NORTH COUNTY — Our police departments in North County have gained three more officers this month following their graduation on Wednesday, June 5, from the Allan Hancock College’s Basic
Law Enforcement Academy in Lompoc. The graduating Class #24-127 included recruits from law enforcement agencies from San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County. They successfully completed 871 training hours required to graduate from the academy and enter careers as peace officers. Two of those recruits were hired by the Paso Robles Police Department and one by the Atascadero Police Department.
“You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished so far,” Atascadero Police Chief Dan Suttles told the graduates at the ceremony. “You’re just starting your careers and are already well-accomplished.” To graduate, the recruits were required to pass Hancock’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy successfully. During the academy’s 871 hours of instruction, the recruits received training in community policing, search and seizure, firearms, ethics,
investigation procedures, patrol techniques, arrest and control, physical training, CPR/First Aid, emergency vehicle operations, and other important skills. “We have grown together not just as individuals, but a team that’s ready to protect and serve our communities with honor and integrity,” said academy graduate, class valedictorian, and newly minted San Luis Obispo Police Department Officer Forrest Brumley. “I am confident that
we will go on to have impactful and meaningful careers in law enforcement.” All 24 academy graduates are now employed by local law enforcement agencies including the Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Lompoc, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Maria police departments, as well as the UCSB police department and the sheriff ’s offices of San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
PASO ROBLES — This October, a new event is coming to Paso Robles City Park that is sure to turn downtown into — Halloweentown. City Council unanimously approved a new cultural event, Día de los Muertos, in City Park on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a traditional Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink, and celebration. Presented by the Paso Robles Main Street Association (Main Street), the inaugural event will feature artisans, entertainers, businesses, and organizations all celebratCONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Paso Robles couple celebrates 70 years of marriage Paul Flores ordered to pay
PASO ROBLES — On July 10, 1954, Ed and Laurie Serge celebrated the first night of their honeymoon at the Stables Inn on Spring Street. Now, after making a home with their family here, the couple is celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Ed, 95, and Laurie, 90, were set up on a blind date by coworkers and were married in Santa Barbara six months later. “We have had a wonderful life with our beautiful children,” Ed told Paso Robles Press. Ed, born in San Francisco, and Laurie, born in Canada, were both raised in the Santa Barbara area for most of their childhood. Toward the end of World War II and at the age of 16, Ed decided he wanted
war news in those days [with] radio and newspaper, and I just wanted to get in the thing before it ended,” said Ed of why he was so intent on joining the war effort. During the last part of the war, Ed was assigned to the destroyer USS Marsh. He ended up serving in Saipan, Guam, and the Island of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Ed explains the USS Marsh was known as the “Spark Plug” of the Pacific because they set up electrical current to the islands where Quonset huts and airstrips were being built for the military. “I’m glad I did [it],” says Ed, looking back on his time in the Navy. “Life has been full of experiences, and in with older men and some of them had been through some bad times. It was a very interesting part of my life.” Laurie and Ed Serge on their wedding day July 10, 1954, in Santa Barbara. They Following the war, Ed began celebrate 70 years of marriage this year. Photo provided by Serge Family working for GTE (now known to enlist in the Navy. With his 1945 he was a Navy man and as Verizon). Little did he know father’s help, Ed was able to lie on a ship. that Laurie was also working “I kinda grew up with all the on his birth certificate and by CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
AGRICULTURE
NEWS
Ed and Laurie Serge reflect on a lifetime of love and commitment since their honeymoon in Paso Robles By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
NORTH COUNTY NEWS
EVENTS
over $346,000 in restitution to Smart family Kristin Smart’s murderer appears in court via Zoom as her family testifies on financial impact By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The convicted killer of Kristin Smart has been ordered to pay more than $346,000 in restitution to the Smart family. Paul Flores, 47, appeared in Monterey County Superior Court via Zoom on Monday, June 17, for the hearing. Kristin went missing on Memorial Day weekend in May of 1996 after attending an off-campus party. She was last seen walking back to her dorm with Flores. Since her disappearance, Flores has been the center of police investigations, and in
2021, he was arrested for the murder and disappearance of Kristin alongside his father, who was accused of helping his son hide her body. In October 2022, Flores was found guilty of Kristin’s murder, while his father, Ruben, was found not guilty of helping his son. Flores was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison in March 2023. To this day, the whereabouts of Kristin’s remains are unknown. The hearing began last week with Smart’s family in attendance to testify about the financial impact they have faced due to Kristin’s disappearance. This included travel expenses for searches and court appearances, hiring a private investigator, and more. According to reports, on Monday, the judge ordered CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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