‘Your Own Backyard’ podcaster answers Kristin Smart questions live as sheriff searches home
.jpg "A green Forensic Services tent can be seen next to a blue tent in the backyard of Ruben Flores’ Arroyo Grande home on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Flores is the father of Paul Flores, named the prime suspect in the 1996 disappearance of missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Ruben and Paul Flores were arrested Tuesday in connection with the case.")
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The arrests of Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, in the disappearance of Kristin Smart has left a local podcaster who helped bring widespread attention to the case “feeling good about everything.”
Chris Lambert, creator of the eight-part series “Your Own Backyard,” was at the scene of Ruben Flores’ home in Arroyo Grande on Tuesday, watching and livestreaming as investigators served a new search warrant in their search for evidence.
Paul Flores was arrested at his home San Pedro and was booked into San Luis Obispo County jail on suspicion of murder. Ruben Flores was booked on a charge of being an accessory to a crime.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson officially announced the arrests and the latest developments in the case at a Cal Poly press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Lambert praised the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office in an Instagram Live feed Tuesday morning, saying he believes the department has some “very good detectives.”
It’s unclear what evidence investigators may have gathered to establish probable cause in the arrests.
“They’ll only stop searching if they don’t find what they’re looking for,” Lambert said. “If they don’t find Kristin here, they’ll keep searching. ... I think they’re hoping to find her here.”
But, he added, “This is great news.”
Smart was 19 went she went missing after a party near Cal Poly; Paul Flores was the last person she was seen with but has never been arrested for any alleged involvement in the crime until Tuesday.
Lambert livestreams from Rubin Flores’ home
Answering a series of questions from the public while stationed outside the house, Lambert said that he has no news about any potential arrest of Susan Flores, Paul’s mother, who also lives in Arroyo Grande.
But he took issue with the comments Susan Flores made in an interview with KSBY-TV, her first in 25 years, in March.
“I don’t condone anything she says,” Lambert said. “But if you’d like to see it, it’s there.”
Lambert said that Susan Flores accused him of picking and choosing from deposition information related to the case, only reporting what he wanted. She also said his podcast has included false information, saying, “I can shoot a lot of holes into a lot of his lies.”
But he said in his Instagram Live feed Tuesday that he highlighted particular details from the depositions because they are provide contradictory information that casts doubt on the Flores family’s credibility.
Lambert said that he’s never spoken with members of the family.
“They’ve yelled things at me, but they don’t want to talk,” Lambert said. “... I have not spoken with Paul’s sister or her husband. They were not interested in talking to me.”
Lambert said that Paul’s sister, Ermelinda, moved to Amsterdam in the 2000s to admittedly get away from the attention on her family due to the Kristin Smart case.
She returned to the United States in 2006, and has been living in Washington since then, where a search warrant has been served on her property as well.
Lambert said that he has spoken with distant Flores family members, who believe Paul Flores committed a crime.
“They believe Paul did it and his parents helped him cover up,” Lambert said. “It’s another thing to hear it from their own family.”
Ruben Flores has rented out rooms to tenants, Lambert said, some of whom have moved out in recent months.
He said some may not have been been aware of the significance of the case before moving in.
Lambert said he believes Ruben Flores, now 80 years old, has earned money by buying and fixing up homes for sale.
Looking forward, Lambert said that he plans to create more podcasts about the Kristin Smart case, which have generated millions of downloads.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 1:11 PM with the headline "‘Your Own Backyard’ podcaster answers Kristin Smart questions live as sheriff searches home."
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