Padron's hometown proud of 'their own'

SAN ANGELO, Texas (KXAN) - Lisha Fant and Jodi Carnes have tied hundreds of blue ribbons on just about every sign post on Bryant Avenue in San Angelo.

It is the road that welcomed Jaime Padron home on Wednesday night and the one that will send him to his final resting spot on Friday morning.

“He is a fallen hero and one of our guys,” said Carnes, a San Angelo officer’s wife. “He belongs here and we want him to know how proud of him we are.”

Padron worked for SAPD for 14 years before moving on to Austin. Fant, who is also married to an officer, worked in dispatch and her description of Padron was nearly identical to what Austin officers have said about their fallen brother.

“He was a good guy. Always willing to help and always right there, said Fant. “He had a huge smile on his face all the time.”

Despite his move to Austin, the city of San Angelo and its police department never forgot Padron. His death has rocked the town of 80,000 just as hard, if not harder, as the city of Austin.

“Everyone is mourning right now,” said Fant who was there when the procession that left Austin Wednesday afternoon pulled into San Angelo that night. “When he arrived home, it was incredible, there wasn’t a dry eye.”

Only about 500 people will be able to fit inside the St. Joseph Catholic Church on Friday morning for Padron’s funeral service, but American flags are already lined along the procession route which is expected to be packed with people waiting to pay their respects.

San Angelo Police Department had to alter the procession route to accommodate the sheer amount of vehicles that will take part, many of them from APD.

But Lisha says Jaime will rest forever in a place where he will always be a hometown hero.

“We consider him one of ours.”