The city of Lompoc is preparing for a lawsuit from Joel Alcox, who alleges he was falsely arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated for 26 years for shooting and killing Thakorbhai Patel at the Lompoc Motel. Alcox denies ever committing the crime.
After a decade of litigation and three petitions for habeas corpus, Alcox’s third petition was granted and he was released from custody in February of 2016. He notified Lompoc on Sept. 12 of his intent to sue the city, according to a letter to the City Council from City Attorney Joseph Pannone.
In his letter, Pannone recommended the city contract with a third-party law firm—Nye Peabody Stirling Hale & Miller—to handle the case.
“Due to the high-profile nature of the case, and the likely high volume of legal work required, the City Attorney’s office recommends obtaining an outside firm to undertake the city’s legal representation in this matter,” Pannone wrote.
Alcox was originally convicted of murder on Oct. 6, 1988, when he was sentenced to state prison for 25 years to life plus one year, according to court documents. The conviction followed a confession from Alcox to the murder, which court documents said was the false result of a six-hour police interrogation.
“The police lied to [Alcox], supplied him with facts about the crime, provided him with a motive, and rejected his countless denials and repeated assertions that he was at Kelly Hughes’ house at the time of the shooting,” the documents said. “[Alcox] eventually confessed to the crime.”
Alcox served 26 years in state prison and was paroled in March of 2012. He was released from custody and cleared of all collateral consequences following a Feb. 12, 2016, judgment. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office then had 60 days to re-file the murder charge, but declined to do so.
The Lompoc City Council was set to discuss the hiring of an outside attorney at its Jan. 3 meeting, but a decision was not reached before press time.
