Chapter 4: Meeting Ruben Flores

The Son of Susan | home

Mark my words.

Eventually, Kristin will be found. When the sun finally sets on the criminal aspect of what happened to Kristin, this guy is going to be exposed for causing most of the emotional and moral violence that has victimized the Smarts since May 25th, 1996.

Mark my words.

If Paul had decent parents, Kristin would have had a Christian burial, he would have already served whatever his sentence would have been and more than likely would be out of prison by now.

It is not just a personal feeling I have. It is based on other factors that for the time being, it would be irresponsible for me to share on this website.

The first line of the first chapter of this book tells how he laughed in the face of Kristin's mom. That right there says all you need to know.

I recently ran into a gentleman who knows both Ruben and Susan very well. He was telling me that I had it all backwards. "Susan", he said, is the evil one. Ruben is the wishy-washy one. That caught me off guard because I just assumed it was the other way around.

To the best of my knowledge, Ruben works for Verizon in Santa Maria, Ca. I do not know that for sure, but that is what I believe.

Back in 1999, I took a few weeks off work and drove cross country from my home in Charlotte, NC to California with the hopes of trying to do something, anything, positive for Kristin. Kristin's mom, Denise, put me in touch with a family friend who lived near Cal Poly and she was nice enough to show me around all the key locations involved in Kristin's disappearance.

She was able to show me where Ruben lived, 710 White Court, in Arroyo Grande, Ca. She was a young mother and also about 9 months pregnant at the time. We both agreed that she should stay back because we are dealing with a family who is trapped in the corner of life, so their behavior is going to be very unpredictable.

She drops me off on the corner and I walk up to the cul-de-sac where Ruben lived. It rather unnerves me that he has such a nice house. I know the world isn't fair, but people like him shouldn't be able to have such a nice home. Yeah, I know. The world isn't always fair.

I was a little surprised that Ruben was out in the front doing yardwork.

"Hello Ruben", I said. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Kristin Smart." Well, apparently that was the wrong thing to say because off he went. Angry as hell but it was a different type of anger than Paul's sister exhibited. Ermalinda was out to kill. Ruben, on the other hand, gave me the impression that the world was doing him wrong and he was sick of it.

"Who are you" he yelled, "let me see your ID". This caught me off guard because just by instinct I said,"No, I am not giving you my ID." I shouldn't have said that because I didn't care if he knew who I was. I just wanted to talk to him. He was having no part of it. His main beef at the time was that Paul has not been arrested and they have no right to bother him. That sort of stuff.

He then disappeared inside his house and I got frightened just a bit because I thought maybe he was coming out with a gun.

Arroyo Grande Police Department

I know now that he just ran inside and called the cops. Within a few minutes three units responded to the scene and the confrontation was on.

The Arroyo Grande officer could not have been more rude, disrespectful, unprofessional and downright mean if he had practiced for the moment all of his life.

I need to say a few things here.

First, a young woman lost her life and her remains cannot be found. The SLO Sheriff publicly said the Paul Flores was the only suspect and if he doesn't talk, the case may never be solved. Six years have gone by and Kristin's mother told me the investigators in charge of looking for Kristin don't even bother with making courtesy calls anymore. Kristin Smart files were found in the garbage (they have since been returned).

On top of that, I am on public property with every legal right to be where I was.

I have since dealt with several other Arroyo Grande officers and they have all, without question, acted in a professional manner. They have each expressed to me that they wish I wouldn't do what I was doing. "There are other ways", they tell me. But nonetheless, they recognized that I wasn't doing anything illegal.

Susan Flores even took me to court. Guess who won.

However, I want to take this time to address the one officer. I do not know his name or I would certainly publish it here. I do remember he was the senior officer of the three who responded.

He walked up to me, requested my ID and asked me what I was doing.

Not even five seconds into my answer he got very angry. He cut me off each time I attempted to speak. I was thinking to myself that this was totally upside down. He ought to be expending this energy on trying to find Kristin instead of shielding the Flores family from owning up to what devastation they have wrought in this world.

Two things:

1) The only thing that officer proved to me that day was that Kristin Smart was not HIS daughter. If she was, he would be singing a totally different tune.

2) The police uniform does indeed represent law and order in our world. Yes, men and women have died wearing that uniform to protect us.

However, it is and always has been the responsibility of the person wearing the uniform to live up to the standard the uniform represents. It is not, nor ever has been, the responsibility of the uniform to live down to the unprofessional of the person wearing that uniform.

You were able to shut me up that day, Officer Unprofessional. Today is a new day. You were as wrong as you could have been and you might as well have been spitting on Kristin's memory.

I also noticed that you didn't arrest me that day. Could the reason for that be that I wasn't doing anything illegal? You also told me that you have personally had to run hundreds of people away from 710 White Court.

No you haven't.

Finally, Sergeant Sanchez of the Arroyo Grande Police department was nothing like this other officer. He politely told me that he would rather I not do this. Then he photocopied the statutes that I need to be aware of.

He than professionally told me it was his job to enforce the laws of Arroyo Grande."If you break the law, I will arrest you", he said.

I understand completely.