Newsom issues pardon to Solano man with cocaine conviction
(Photo courtey Wikimedia Commons)
Governor Gavin Newsom issued a pre-holiday pardon to a man who was convicted of a drug offense in Solano County more than two decades ago.
Tyrece Richardson was convicted in a Solano County courtroom of possessing cocaine base for sale. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation in connection with the offense.
Three years ago, Richardson successfully obtained a certificate of rehabilitation from a Solano County judge that served as evidence of his reform, the Governor’s Office said. The court also recommend Richardson be granted a full pardon.
“This act of clemency for Mr. Richardson does not minimize or forgive his conduct or the harm it caused,” Newsom wrote in a clemency certificate published on Friday. “It does recognize the work he has done since to transform himself.”
The pardon was among several Newsom issued Friday afternoon, just before the start of a three-day holiday weekend. In total, Newsom issued 17 pardons, 15 commutations and one medical reprieve.
In a statement, the Governor’s Office said a pardon “may remove counter-productive barriers to employment and public services, restore civic rights and responsibilities, and prevent unjust collateral consequences of conviction.”
The Governor’s Office said a pardon doesn’t automatically erase a conviction and is considered based on a number of factors, including a person’s demonstrable history of rehabilitation, public safety interests and any impact one may have on the crime victims and survivors.
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