Pasadena : Trial Set for Security Chief

The trial for a fired school district security chief accused of filing a false police report has been tenatively scheduled for next month.

The jury trial of Charles Parcell will begin between Sept. 8 and Sept. 20 unless his attorney can persuade Municipal Court Judge Judson Morris Jr. at an Aug. 26 hearing to dismiss the misdemeanor charge on the grounds of discriminatory prosecution.

Terrence Bennett, Parcell’s attorney, said his client is the target of a political conspiracy among school, city and police officials because of his conservative views.

School officials say they fired Parcell for allegedly filing the false police report and attempting to obtain a confidential district employee test.

City prosecutors say Parcell filed a false police report Sept. 3 declaring that a special education office computer was stolen after he had moved it to his security department office.

Bennett said Associate Supt. Michael Klentschy ordered Parcell to hide the computer and that Parcell warned Klentschy twice that a police report would automatically be filed when Pasadena police reviewed the school district theft report.

Klentschy has since been demoted to administrator after admitting he approved moving the computer, school officials said. Parcell is appealing his termination in March by the school board.