A cadaver dog handler who searched a dorm room for signs of missing student Kristin Smart has said that the animal gave 'probably the strongest alert I've seen her do' when it entered the dorm room of her accused killer.
Handler Adela Morris told a court Wednesday how she searched Paul Flores' Cal Poly dorm room in 1996 with the animal, which is trained to detect human remains.
Paul, who was a 19-year-old Cal Poly student at the time of Smart's disappearance and is now 44, is accused of killing Smart during an attempted rape in his dorm room and has been charged with first-degree murder.
His father Ruben Flores, now 80, allegedly helped his son hide his victim's body and was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Both have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
Smart's boy has never been found.
Witness testimony continued Wednesday during the seventh day of the month-long preliminary hearing in the case against the father and son.
Morris testified that the cadaver dog she used to search the Cal Poly residence hall for any trace of Smart 'was absolutely one of the most trained dogs in California.'
Morris is an expert witness in cadaver dog handling having worked with her dog, Cholla, for 35 years, but the defense argued there's not enough foundation for her to testify and questions her qualifications.
Paul Flores looks on during the second day of his preliminary hearing Tuesday Aug. 3, 2021
Kristin Smart (pictured) was last seen on May 25, 1996, with Paul Flores while returning to her dorm at Cal Poly University
Adela Morris testified on Wednesday that her highly trained dog 'gave me probably the strongest alert I've seen her do' leading her straight to Paul Flores' room. Morris is pictured with one of her dogs - it is unclear whether it is Cholla, who was involved in the search
Paul and Kristin were both freshmen at Cal Poly in 1996 when she vanished. He was staying in Santa Maria Hall and she was in Muir Hall, which are 0.2miles apart - a four minute walk
Under cross-examination, Paul's defense attorney Robert Sanger asked Morris several clarifying questions about her certification.
She said that she has a certificate from CARDA (California Rescue Dog Association) and that the dogs have to be re-certified every year.
She said Cholla was first certified in 1995 and that she had to prove the dog's capabilities before earning her certification.
He also asked about her income, which is when Morris explained she founded two nonprofits - the Institute for Canine Forensics and the Canine Specialized Search Team (CSST).
She gets paid work through the Institute for Canine Forensics but CSST is all volunteer work.
In 1996, Morris and Cholla aided in the search of Paul's dorm and other locations following Smart's disappearance.
Paul (left) and Ruben Flores (right) have both pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection to Smart's murder
San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney District Attorney Chris Peuvrelle argues to add to Paul's charges as he is also now suspected of other rapes
Robert Sanger is representing Paul Flores. He attempted to argue that Morris was not qualified to give her testimony which the judge denied
Morris testified on the stand that Cholla alerted her to a piece of plastic in a dumpster and showed interest around the Performing Arts Center and at the Arroyo Grande home of Paul's mother, Susan Flores.
Both defense attorneys questioned if cleaning agents could hinder a dog's detection of human remains, but Morris clarified that dogs can still pick up scent signatures.
She added that she didn't know Paul's dorm room had already been cleaned when she searched it.
Judge Craig van Rooyen also joined in the questioning and asked Morris if she thinks Cholla was reliable for detecting human remains. She responded, 'At the time, [Cholla] was one of the most trained dogs in the state.'
During cross-examination, Morris said she is unsure of Cholla's false-positive rate because they didn't track it at the time. 'I'm aware dogs can make mistakes. I'm assuming [Cholla] may have had some mistakes.'
Paul Flores, 44, was arrested in April for the murder of his former classmate Kristin Smart
