Judge issues arrest warrant for SLO developer

A San Luis Obispo developer facing several civil and criminal cases — including allegations of assaulting a former girlfriend in November — failed to appear to a debtor’s examination Wednesday, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Ryan Petetit, 28, was due in San Luis Obispo Superior Court for hearings in two criminal cases, as well as a mandatory appearance in a civil case in which his former attorney claims Petetit failed to pay his legal fees.

In that case, attorney Richard Rossi filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Petetit in November. Petetit failed to respond to the suit and Rossi was awarded a $1,615 judgment in April. On Monday, Judge Charles Crandall awarded Rossi an additional $500 in monetary sanctions.

Petetit failed to appear in court Wednesday to report his financial assets and Crandall issued a $2,500 bench warrant for his arrest.

Petetit has several ongoing criminal and civil cases against him and has pleaded not guilty in his domestic violence case. The former co-owner of now-defunct PB Companies, Petetit was involved in some prominent San Luis Obispo developments before stepping down as CEO in December.

Petetit’s criminal defense attorney, Patrick Fisher, said he contacted Petetit following the hearing and was told the non-appearance was “a simple miscommunication” between he and his civil attorney. Fisher said Petetit planned to post bail Wednesday and have the warrant recalled.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Judge issues arrest warrant for SLO developer."