Kristin Smart case: Former classmate briefly detained after search warrant served in San Pedro

SAN PEDRO, Calif. -- A former classmate authorities called a "person of interest" was briefly detained in the case of 19-year-old college student Kristin Smart who went missing nearly 24 years ago, officials said.

Officials said Paul Flores was detained and released Wednesday morning by San Luis Obispo deputies and the FBI.

Authorities served search warrants Wednesday in San Pedro, San Luis Obispo County and Washington state.

In a statement, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said it disclosed the development "due to the high-profile nature of the investigation into the disappearance and whereabouts of Kristin Smart and to avoid the dissemination of misinformation."

The search warrants were "limited in scope and sealed by the court," the news release said, adding that additional information would not be immediately provided.

September 2016: FBI renews search for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student missing for 20 years

The FBI has launched an excavation project on the edge of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in hope of finding the remains of a student who vanished more than 20 years ago.

News video from AIR7 HD showed FBI personnel and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies outside the San Pedro location in a residential neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Smart was last seen returning to her California Polytechnic State University dormitory from an off-campus party on May 25, 1996.