Fullerton Mayor F. Richard Jones is “about ready to quit,” Ron Thomas, father of police beating death victim Kelly Thomas, said after his two-hour one-on-one meeting.
Speaking at Fullerton City Hall this morning, Ron Thomas said that after last night's raucous city council meeting, Jones told him that he contemplated stepping down after 15 years as an elected official. Thomas added that Jones is not in good health at this time, which could make such an exit possible. (Editor's note: See our post about the KFI reports of Jones' resignation.)
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His lengthy discussion with the mayor also touched on Jones' handling of the July 5th beating that has riled Fullerton residents and has attracted international coverage. Thomas said that despite the mayor's statements to the public, he is more intelligent than how he presents himself.
“He understands fully what is going on [in the Kelly Thomas case],”
Thomas said. “He is deeply concerned about my son. He absolutely wants
to know the truth about how my son died.”
Thomas also questioned him about the hiring practices of the Fullerton Police Department, including how former police chief and currently city Council Member Pat McKinley hired Joe Jay Cicinelli, a police officer with one eye, whom he said was the man who put the butt of the Taser on his son's head. Kelly's dad also presented to the media an e-mail he sent to the Fullerton Police Department on July 14 which the police acknowledge only last week about Officer Kenton Hampton's involvement in a video where he punched a man taping an arrest in Downtown Fullerton. Thomas said that the officer is “disgusting” and was the man who kneed Kelly in the throat as the other five beat his son.
After Thomas finished his press conference, Sylvia Palmer, Fullerton's Public Information Officer, told the numerous reporters and cameras outside City Hall that Jones would not make comments at this time.
