Former county worker faces theft charges
Complaint alleges Hibble misused a county credit card to purchase personal items estimated at well over $100,000
– San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that former San Luis Obispo County employee Norman Hibble, 54, has been arrested and charged with misappropriating county funds over a seven-year period. The investigation is on-going.
The suspected theft was discovered by staff of the office of the Auditor-Controller, who identified purchasing irregularities and worked closely with the District Attorney Public Integrity Unit to investigate the alleged crimes.
The 12-count felony complaint alleges that between April 2017 and Oct. 2023, while employed with the county of San Luis Obispo, Hibble misused a county credit card to purchase personal items estimated at well over $100,000. Hibble has been booked in the San Luis Obispo County jail with bail set at $350,000.
It is anticipated that Hibble will be arraigned on Friday, Feb. 23, in Department 3 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. If convicted, Hibble faces a significant prison sentence, according to the DA’s office.
A defendant in a criminal proceeding is presumed not guilty until the allegations have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The on-going investigation is a collaborative effort between the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Auditor-Controller. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal of the Major Fraud/Public Integrity Unit.
