Former SLO County employee sentenced to six years in prison

21 August 2024

Norman Hibble

By KAREN VELIE

A San Luis Obispo County judge sentenced a former county employee to six years in prison on Wednesday.

Norman Hibble pleaded guilty to seven counts of embezzlement in July. He also admitted stealing more than $100,000, earning a sentence enhancement.

In 2008, Hibble began working for the county. In 2016, while working as a supervisor in the IT department, Hibble received a county credit card that could only be used for official county business.

Over several years, Hibble used his county credit card to make countless personal and often exorbitant purchases. Hibble covered up his crimes by falsifying records and altering invoices to disguise his thefts as legitimate purchases.

Among other things, Hibble used the stolen money to purchase disc jockey and lighting equipment he presumably used from his private event agency Light and Sound, high-end photography equipment, an electric scooter, a telescope, a crossbow, and even large shipping containers in which Hibble apparently stored many of the items he purchased with the stolen county funds.

The district administration fired Hibble in January 2024.

During Wednesday's hearing, Superior Court Judge Crystal Seiler also ordered Hibble to pay restitution to the county.

It is estimated that Hibble stole more than $500,000 from the county. A hearing to determine the exact amount of restitution owed is scheduled for October 2.