Acting Chief Hughes Will Clear Kelly Thomas' Name

Fullerton Acting Police Chief Dan Hughes will announce that Kelly Thomas will be cleared of wrongdoing at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas, made the news public on Facebook.

"For 14 months now, I as well as many hundreds of you have wanted Kelly’s name cleared," he wrote. "Over the last three weeks, Captain Dan Hughes, acting Chief of Police in Fullerton, and I have been working on wording that I have now approved as to clearing Kelly’s name."

He also hinted of a "bombshell" that will also happen at the Tuesday meeting, but wouldn't specify.

Thomas and his supporters have worked since July to encourage the Police Department to clear his son of wrongdoing following his beating death by police officers in the Fullerton Transportation Center. Since then, two officers are currently standing trial in Kelly's beating death.

Protesting in front of the Fullerton Police Department Saturday, Dana Pape, Kelly's stepmother, said it was "about time" his name is cleared.

"It should have happened a long time ago and it should have come from [Andrew] Goodrich," she said, referring to the former FPD public information officer who reported that Thomas was breaking into cars and being aggressive towards police.

While clearing Kelly's name has been a priority for those seeking justice, others at the protest Saturday also focused their energies on prodding the City government to be transparent in its police chief selection process.

"We are requesting a open and transparent hiring process," said protester Marlena Carrillo. "[Kelly] took a beating for us and the right thing to do is open the process for a qualified Police Chief for Fullerton."