SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A San Luis Obispo County jury has convicted Scott Robert Davis of second-degree robbery for forcing his way past a Target employee while leaving the store with stolen merchandise, prosecutors announced.
Read the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney release: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney/latest-news/2026/november/repeat-offender-convicted-by-jury-of-second-robbery-after-prison-and-probation-failed-to-stop-his-at
District Attorney Dan Dow announced the conviction on November 6, 2026, according to the release.
Scott Robert Davis, 41, remains in custody without bail, officials reported.
The jury returned its verdict on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after deliberating for less than two hours at the close of a four-day trial, according to the release.
A Vestibule Confrontation, A Bicycle Getaway, And A Guilty Verdict
On August 8, 2025, Davis entered the Target store on Los Osos Valley Road in San Luis Obispo and spent about 45 minutes selecting merchandise, including a backpack, a luggage bag, clothing, and shaving supplies, according to trial evidence reported in the release.
Davis packed items into the bags and walked out through the entrance door without paying, while the store's Asset Protection Specialist watched on security cameras, the release stated.
The employee met Davis in the front vestibule, past all points of sale, and tried to block his path, according to the release. Davis grabbed the employee's arm, forced it down, pushed past him, and fled on a bicycle, officials reported.
Under California law, using force or fear to carry away or keep stolen property makes the crime robbery, the release noted.
San Luis Obispo Police Officer Paul Sisemore recognized Davis from the store's security video, and on August 10, 2025, contacted him wearing one of the stolen shirts, according to the release. The officer recovered the shirt and both bags; the remaining clothing and shaving supplies were never recovered, officials reported.
The jury convicted Davis of one count of second-degree robbery, a felony under PC § 211 and a serious and violent felony under California law, according to the release.
A Wine Shop, A 7-Eleven, And A Pattern Of Second Chances
The Target robbery, Case 25F-09427, is Davis's third case since 2022 in which he threatened or used force against a store worker, and he committed it while on felony probation for his first robbery, according to the release.
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In April 2022, at a wine and beer shop on South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo (Case 22F-02119), Davis swung a bottle at the owner who confronted him over a hidden $110 bottle of wine, according to court records and sworn testimony cited in the release. He pleaded no contest to felony assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and was sentenced on April 25, 2023, to two years in state prison before being released on parole.
In December 2024, at the 7-Eleven on West Grand Avenue in Grover Beach (Case 24F-09332), Davis pushed a clerk and twice returned with knives after the clerk recovered stolen batteries, according to the release. He pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery and, on April 24, 2025, was placed on felony probation instead of being returned to prison; his probation was revoked and then reinstated on May 14, 2025, officials reported.
On October 28, 2025, while still on felony probation, Davis stole from the Smart and Final in San Luis Obispo (Case 25M-09448), and on November 6, 2026, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor petty theft under PC § 484 and received credit for time served, according to the release.
"This defendant was given a chance to change when he was released from prison on parole, and another chance when he was placed on probation instead of being sent back to prison for robbery," said District Attorney Dan Dow. "Each time, he went right back to stealing from local businesses and endangering the people who work there."
A Second Strike, A January Sentencing, And Sixteen Years Of Exposure
On November 6, 2026, Davis admitted that his 2025 robbery conviction is a prior strike under California's Three Strikes Law and a prior serious felony conviction, making the new case a second-strike case, according to the release.
He had already been found in violation of his felony probation at the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, officials reported.
Sentencing on both felony cases is set for January 14, 2027, in Department 8 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Jesse J. Marino presiding, according to the release.
Davis faces a maximum of 15 years in state prison on the new robbery and 16 years on both felony cases combined, officials reported.
The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo Police Department and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Julie Antos of the General Felony Prosecution Unit, according to the release.
Victims of crime in San Luis Obispo County, including workers harmed on the job, can contact the District Attorney's Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center at 805-781-5821 for free, confidential support.
Sources
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney, "Repeat Offender Convicted by Jury of Second Robbery After Prison and Probation Failed to Stop His Attacks," November 6, 2026: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/district-attorney/latest-news/2026/november/repeat-offender-convicted-by-jury-of-second-robbery-after-prison-and-probation-failed-to-stop-his-at
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Published: Nov 10, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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