Jury finds man guilty after assault on grocery worker
Jury found Moore guilty of assaulting 67-year-old employee
– A San Luis Obispo County jury convicted Robert Wade Moore IV of robbery, assault, and resisting a peace officer following a December 2025 attack on a 67-year-old grocery store employee in San Luis Obispo, District Attorney Dan Dow announced in a press release.
The jury found Moore guilty of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and resisting, obstructing, or delaying a peace officer. The jury acquitted Moore of elder abuse and a lesser included offense.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, and the court declared a mistrial on that count.
Following the trial, the judge found several aggravating factors that will be used in sentencing. The factors included that Moore was armed or used a weapon during the crimes, that his prior convictions were numerous and increasing in seriousness, that he previously served a prison term, and that his prior performance on community supervision was unsatisfactory.
“No one who goes to work to serve our community should be beaten for doing the right thing, and no one who steps in to protect a stranger should be attacked for their courage,” District Attorney Dan Dow said. “This victim and the good Samaritan who came to his aid showed exactly the kind of character that holds our community together. My office has zero tolerance for violent crime, and this verdict makes clear that those who resort to violence in San Luis Obispo County will be held fully accountable.”
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the incident occurred Dec. 22, 2025, at the Smart & Final store on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo.
The victim was working in the produce section near the store entrance when he saw Moore carrying several food items walk toward the cart area and stop near a display of Martinelli’s cider. Moore grabbed a three-pack of cider and left the store without paying for the items.
The victim followed Moore outside and confronted him about the stolen merchandise. When the victim attempted to grab the cider, Moore began throwing items and striking him. Surveillance video captured Moore repeatedly hitting the victim, including swinging the three-pack of cider at him multiple times.
The victim was struck on the top of the head by a cider bottle, causing a large lump and redness, and suffered scratches to his face.
A community member who was loading groceries into his vehicle heard Moore yelling and saw him striking the victim, who was on the ground. The person intervened, and Moore threw a container of milk at him before fleeing the scene on a bicycle. Moore was not located at that time.
On Dec. 23, 2025, employees at SLO Ranch Market reported that a person had locked himself inside a bathroom and refused to leave, preventing cleaning staff from accessing the closed business.
Officers from the San Luis Obispo Police Department attempted for several minutes to persuade the individual to exit before staff provided an override code to open the bathroom. Officers found Moore inside with his belongings, including his bicycle.
As officers began placing Moore in handcuffs, an officer saw the tip of a knife protruding from Moore’s right front pocket. While retrieving that knife, the officer located a second knife fully concealed inside the same pocket.
Moore faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department investigated the case. Deputy District Attorney Julie Antos prosecuted the case. Victim services were provided by the District Attorney’s Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center, including Victim Advocate Tristan Milledge and Witness Coordinator Eloiza Basinger.
