Paul Flores' mother testified Friday that her son did not kill
Kristin Smart, the Cal Poly student who has been missing since 1996.
Susan Flores' testimony came as a judge ordered an amateur detective
to spend 20 days in jail for harassing the Flores family in violation
of a restraining order.
Susan Flores said Dennis Mahon has stalked her family -- asking for
volunteers to take aerial photos of her home, visiting her workplace
and sending out postcards to Paul Flores' neighbors that accused him of
involvement in the disappearance of Smart.
Mahon is dedicated to finding Smart, said San Luis Obispo Superior
Court Judge Roger Picquet, who presided over the hearing Friday. But by
pressuring the Flores family to confess to a crime they've never been
charged of, Mahon has "impacted their lives. He's impacted their lives
to an extent that is unacceptable," Picquet said.
Susan Flores testified that Mahon arrived at her work with a sign
calling her son Paul a killer. And Flores' live-in boyfriend, Michael
McConville, said he lost his job because his employer did not want to
be associated with the case. Mahon had posted on his Web site the name
of McConville's employer.
Mahon operates a Web site, www.sonofsusan.com,
that publishes the Floreses' addresses and tracks Paul Flores anytime
he moves to a new residence. The site also includes information about
Smart's disappearance.
Most of the evidence of harassment came from the Web site.
As an example of how closely Mahon monitored her, Susan Flores told
the judge that moments after she removed a political sign from her
front yard during a campaign several years ago, the Web site was
updated.
"That told me he (Mahon) was really watching us," Susan Flores said.
The site also featured pictures of the home of Flores and
McConville. The photos were taken from about 50 yards away, which is as
close as Mahon can come to family members or their residences,
according to a restraining order issued in 2002.
"He is certainly playing games with the issue" by getting so close, Picquet said.
The Floreses requested the restraining order, saying Mahon was harassing them.
Mahon is not related to Smart, but the North Carolina man
volunteered to help with the case after learning about her
disappearance.
The 19-year-old was last seen walking home with Paul Flores from a party on the Cal Poly campus on May 25, 1996.
Mahon's tactics are designed to encourage the Floreses to "tell the
San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department everything they know," the Web
site says.
Before the judge sentenced Mahon for violating the restraining order, Mahon said he was sorry for upsetting the Flores family.
"I don't do Kristin any good by stepping over any bounds," Mahon said. "I owe the Flores family an apology."
Picquet sentenced Mahon to 40 days in prison, but Mahon will serve
20 days as long as he does not violate the restraining order again. If
he does, those 20 days can be added on to a new sentence.
Mahon's attorney, Okorie Okorocha, questioned Susan Flores'
objectivity. Mahon's efforts to paint Paul Flores as Smart's killer
tainted her ability to be fair, he said.
He asked Susan Flores if she had any bias against Mahon. "Do I like him now?" she said. "No."
"Did your son Paul commit the murder Mr. Mahon is investigating?" Okorocha asked.
"No," Flores said.
"Did your former husband bury a body in your back yard?" Okorocha asked.
"It is not possible," Flores responded.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Mahon was arrested and booked into County Jail to begin serving his term.
The restraining order against Mahon is set to expire this summer.
Picquet set a hearing for July to see if the order should be extended
at the request of the Floreses.
You can reach Leslie Griffy at 781-7931 or lgriffy
@thetribunenews.com.
