The flags are flying at half staff again in Fairfield. First, 22-year-old Councilman Matt Garcia was struck down by a gunman's bullet. And now, another councilman, Frank Kardos, has apparently committed suicide.
"It's another difficult day, it's another sad day for all of us. In the city of Fairfield, we have this incredible staff that come together as a family. So, we're all grieving today" says Fairfield Mayor Harry Price.
On Friday, a Solano County jury found Kardos guilty of felony assault on an ex-girlfriend. The 54-year-old Kardos faced three and a half years in prison. After the verdict, prosecutors asked that Kardos be taken into custody to protect his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend.
The judge declined, saying Kardos was not a threat to the two women. There was no discussion of whether he was a threat to himself.
Kardos was a long-time educator in Fairfield, most recently as an assistant principal at Armijo High School.
"My picture of him is always just as a father. He always had his boys with him and he loved his boys, his boys loved him and he had them with him wherever he went."
So now, Fairfield has not one, but two empty council seats to fill. It's a process that will likely be completed without a special election.
A special election would cost $600,000 dollars. So far, 51 people have applied for Garcia's position.
"I think all you can do is move forward to fill their seats and honor what they both stood for," says Sean Quinn, Fairfield City Manager.
The council will choose finalists for Garcia's seat next Monday. News of Kardos' death Saturday came just hours before police in Las Vegas arrested the prime suspect in Garcia's murder, 32-year-old Henry Don Williams.
Williams has an extradition hearing in Las Vegas on Tuesday and could be transported back to Fairfield by the end of the week.
