Thread by @latimes

For the last 25 years, Paul Flores appeared to live a mundane life.

But since he was first accused in the disappearance of Kristin Smart, his life was marked by troubling encounters with police and multiple accusations of sexual assault. latimes.com/california/sto…

Since moving from California’s central coast to the L.A. area, Flores has been investigated in at least 3 alleged sexual assaults.

He is now under investigation for at least two sexual assaults and was accused by police of a third. latimes.com/california/sto…

Flores has not been charged with any sex crimes from his time in Southern California.
He has pleaded not guilty to Smart’s murder, which authorities allege he committed while attempting to rape her.
His attorney says Flores “denies every allegation.” latimes.com/california/sto…

Neighbors and others who encountered Flores during the 20 years he lived in the Los Angeles port community of San Pedro and Lawndale, a small city near LAX, described him as a solitary man who drank heavily and acted erratically. latimes.com/california/sto…

One San Pedro neighbor recalled that Flores was only sociable while drunk, but that he would hit on women while intoxicated. “You could tell when he was drinking,” he said. “He’d get loud, belligerent. Obnoxious.”
latimes.com/california/sto…

Police records show that Flores had frequent run ins with police that often involved drinking. He has at least five convictions for driving drunk in L.A., Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and a conviction for being drunk in public.
latimes.com/california/sto…

. @MatthewOrmseth and @LAcrimes explain how Paul Flores's run-ins with law enforcement and accusations of sexual assault over the last 25 years could factor into a trial over the disappearance of Kristin Smart. latimes.com/california/sto…