BREAKING NEWS: Child molestation charges dropped against Hawaiian Gardens union leader Licon

This map shows the incorporated areas in Los Angeles County, California. Hawaiian Gardens is highlighted in red. I created it in Inkscape using data from the Los Angeles County Website (Los Angeles County Incorporated Area and District Map (PDF). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Brian Hews and Jerry Bernstein

Child molestation charges were dropped Friday morning against Fred Licon, the current President of the Hawaiian Gardens Employees Association, inside a Bellflower court room.

Licon, who works as an employee with the City of Hawaiian Gardens and serves as the head of AFSCME Local 3426, was arrested last month on felony molestation charges by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Unit. After his arrest, he was held on a $250,000 bond but was released less than one day after the amount was successfully posted.

Los Cerritos Community Newspaper was told that the “alleged victim” was the daughter of Licon’s daughter’s boyfriend and confirmed that she is four years of age.

At a hearing on Friday morning, members of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office refused to file charges against Licon based on insufficiency of evidence.

“Mr. Licon is innocent of any wrong doing, is horrified to have even been suspected of such a heinous crime, and is vindicated by the fact no charges have been filed,” said Jeff Kent, attorney for Licon in a statement to LCCN.

Kent also said that “no decision has been made at this time regarding any civil rights lawsuits.”

“We do not have a copy of the police report, as no charges were filed, and the nature of the accusations would typically come with a protective order not allowing it to be shared with anyone outside of the defense team,” Kent said.

Reaction to the case sparked emotions around Hawaiian Gardens.

Last month, community member Daniel Rowe told Los Cerritos Community Newspaper that “often in a case like this, residents take sides and neighbor turns against neighbor and we as a community are quick to past judgment based on the rumors we have heard or our personal assumptions that we have made.”