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By Neil Protacio and Nick Saul

PCC President Mark Rocha asserted on Tuesday that he will be moving forward in finding replacements for two high-ranking school officials.

According to Rocha, there are already efforts in finding people qualified for the positions.

Richard van Pelt, vice president of administrative services, and Alfred Hutchings, facilities services supervisor, were put on administrative leave on June 7 due to a criminal bribery investigation that led to District Attorney’s agents serving search warrants on the homes and offices of the two men.

In an on-camera interview in his office, Rocha made it clear that the district will be moving forward in filling the vacant positions and carrying on with school duties.

“We can’t make decisions based on whether [van Pelt and Hutchings] are or are not guilty,” he said. “The investigation is a whole separate matter; our main focus is moving forward.”

Rocha emphasized that accountability is paramount. He has not spoken to either van Pelt or Hutchings since they were placed on leave.

“There are a lot of things I’m feeling,” he said. “The first thing I’m feeling is responsible and accountable. I’m trying to work hard with our faculty, staff and students to deal with this situation openly and try to move the college forward.”

According to Rocha, he is most concerned with how his colleagues feel about the situation.

“I’ve been dealing with the situation on a day-to-day basis, but this situation has affected everyone,” he said. “So I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to get to staff and ask [them how they felt].”

The current crisis was a touchy subject for Rocha who gave stern answers regarding the administration’s current and past involvement with the investigation. “I have shown everything that I’m able to show,” he said.

In another admission, Rocha said that initially he did not know whom the search warrants targeted.

“They notified me that they were looking into a matter here on campus,” Rocha said. “I immediately turned it over to our General Counsel Gail Cooper.”

After finding out that van Pelt and Hutchings were the targets, Rocha said he refused to disclose that information to the two men for fear of getting in the way of the investigation.

“We were cooperating fully with the District Attorney so we were under [their guidance] in their criminal investigation,”Rocha said. “So you normally follow that guidance, and it’s fairly obvious that when the DA is investigating a possible crime that you would not inform the suspects.”

Rocha also said that he did not know about Hutchings’ and van Pelt’s businesses outside of the school. He was also unaware of Hutchings’ controversial professional background.  Hutchings resigned from the L.A.P.D after being convicted of theft, and he was also removed as chief of the Maywood Police Department after two weeks on the job. However, Hutchings did manage to land a position at PCC. Rocha did find out that van Pelt was part of the committee that recommended hiring Hutchings.

“It’s sad that their actions affect many more people than just the two of them,” Rocha concluded. “The college has a long past and will have a long future.”

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