SLO County detective who investigated Kristin Smart’s murder is retiring, sheriff says
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The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office detective who most recently led the investigation into Cal Poly student Kristin Smart’s disappearance will retire this spring — on the same day Smart’s killer, Paul Flores, is expected to be sentenced.
Clint Cole will end his 32-year career with the Sheriff’s Office as a cold case and unsolved homicide detective on March 10, the agency said in a news release Tuesday.
Cole was the first to hold the position when it was created in 2017.
He was assigned the Kristin Smart case in 2019, around the time that Orcutt resident Chris Lambert’s “Your Own Backyard” podcast started reviving interest in the missing San Luis Obispo woman.
Cole’s work eventually led to Flores’ arrest on April 13, 2021, then his conviction Oct. 18, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“It is very satisfying to see Paul Flores convicted for the murder of Kristin Smart,” Cole said in the release. “I hope I’ve been able to give the Smart family some measure of justice for Kristin.”
According to the release, Cole’s career began in 1990, when he was hired by the Sheriff’s Office as a correctional officer.
He moved to patrol in 1996, the Sheriff’s Office said, then worked in the special operations unit as a school resource officer and sexual assault investigator from 2002 to 2014. That’s when he was promoted to senior deputy.
In addition to the Smart case, Cole is credited with solving the 41-year-old murder cases of Jane Antunez and Patricia Dwyer in Atascadero and assisting with the 2018 murder investigation of Nancy Woodrum in Paso Robles.
“I am extremely proud of the work Clint has done for this agency, especially with regard to the Kristin Smart investigation,” San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said in the release. “He has accomplished much in his 32-year career, and his retirement is well deserved.”
In the release, Cole thanked his family, including Kay, daughter Audra and father John, for their support as he worked long hours on cases.
Cole said in the release that he is excited “to relax” and spend more time with his family when he retires.
