Judge Rules Security Chief’s Firing Excessive

An administrative law judge has ruled that the firing of former Pasadena Unified School District security chief Charles Parcell was excessive and that Parcell should be given back his job.

In his Sept. 8 ruling, Administrative Law Judge Richard Ranger stated that Parcell should have been suspended for 90 days for allegedly filing a false police report in September, 1992, but should not have been fired.

“This case should have been avoided,” Ranger wrote in his final ruling.

“It is a case involving events that should have never happened. . . . It is about ordinarily responsible school leaders acting like schoolchildren conducting a prank.”

After being accused of filing a false police report over a computer that was reported stolen, Parcell, a 26-year employee of the school district, was placed on administrative leave and then fired in March, 1993. The computer had been moved from another department.

On Nov. 1, 1993, Parcell was found innocent of one misdemeanor count of filing a false police report.

It is now up to the Pasadena Board of Education to either accept or appeal Ranger’s ruling. If the board appeals the ruling, a Los Angeles County Superior Court will finally decide the issue, said Terry Bennett, Parcell’s attorney.

School board members could not be reached for comment. Supt. Vera Vignes was also unavailable.

“What’s interesting is the judge wants to put me back to work, but the school district won’t put me back to work,” Parcell said.

“I’m looking for total exoneration and I’m going to get it,” he said.