20070112 Governor Ehrlich Grants Clemency to 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Office of the Governor

January 12, 2007 Shareese N. DeLeaver

Henry P. Fawell

(410) 974.2316

Dept. of Public Safety &

Correctional Services

Jacqueline Lampell

(410) 339.5081

Governor Ehrlich Grants Clemency to 18

Completes his historic term with 249 Executive Clemency orders signed,

reviving the clemency power in Maryland.

ANNAPOLIS – Today, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. granted executive clemency to eighteen individuals. The Governor granted pardons to:

§ Marie T. Alexis, 54, convicted of battery in 1990. She was sentenced to eighteen months suspended and three years probation.

§ Debra Y. Blowe, 50, convicted of welfare fraud in 1977. She was sentenced to six months, all but four days suspended.

§ Timothy Breth, 55, convicted of breaking and entering and seven counts of larceny in 1970, and possession of controlled dangerous substance and paraphernalia in 1974. He was sentenced to five years suspended and five years supervised probation and six months suspended and one year supervised probation, respectively.

§ Tammy L. Carper, 41, convicted of distribution of phencyclidine in 1984. She was sentenced to eighteen months, all but twenty days suspended, and three years supervised probation.

§ Alverta L. Chapman, 47, convicted of shoplifting in 1978. She was ordered to pay $50.00 in fines, $10.00 to the Criminal Injury Compensation Fund, and $5.00 in court costs.

§ Richard S. Cugini, 34, convicted of obtaining alcohol for a minor in the District Court of Maryland for Frederick County in 1995. He was ordered to pay $150.00 in fines and $35.00 in court costs.

§ Ronald A. Demory, 54, convicted of assault in 1969. He was ordered to pay $50.00 in fines and $10.00 in court costs.

§ Edwin E. Green, Sr., 59, convicted of possession of marijuana in 1978. He was sentenced to sixty days suspended, one year unsupervised probation, and $70.00 in court costs.

§ Aruna Ikharia, 34, convicted of fleeing and eluding in 1997. He was sentenced to thirty days suspended, two years supervised probation, 160 hours of community service, $100.00 in fines, $95.00 in court costs, and $40.00 to the Criminal Injury Compensation Fund.

§ William C. Lewis, Jr., 62, convicted of shoplifting in 1963. He was ordered to pay $25.00 in fines and $4.75 in court costs.

§ Sandra S. Massey, 40, convicted of prostitution in 1996. She was ordered to pay $300.00 in fines and $50.00 in court costs.

§ Michael W. Millner, 44, convicted of violation of park rule 5 (open container) in 1983. He was ordered to pay $25.00 in fines and $20.00 in court costs.

§ Lakesha L. Ruffin, 34, convicted of battery in 1993. She was ordered to pay $250.00 in fines and $50.00 in court costs.

§ Jennifer Anne Yoak Siegmyer, 31, convicted of theft less $300.00 in 1998. She was sentenced to ninety days suspended and eighteen months probation;

§ Michael A. Smith, 41, convicted of malicious destruction of property, breaking and entering, robbery, and assault in 1985, misdemeanor theft in 1989, misdemeanor theft in 1990, trespassing in 1994, and possession of controlled dangerous substance in 1995. He was sentenced to one year and sixty days with eleven months suspended and eighteen months concurrent supervised probation and ten years with nine year and two months suspended and five years supervised probation in 1985. Further, he was sentenced to seven months in 1990, ninety days suspended, one year supervised probation and $150.00 in fines and court costs in 1994, and one year with ten months and twenty days suspended in 1995.

§ Devere V. Stokes, 51, convicted of battery and deadly weapon with intent to injure in 1993. She was sentenced to one year.

§ Vaughn W. Sweitzer, 43, convicted of handgun violation in 1986. He was sentenced to six months suspended and one year supervised probation.

§ Robert T. Szacik, 56, convicted of battery in 1981. He was sentenced to one year, six months, and five days unsupervised probation.

The Secretary of State advertised clemency applications for grantees on December 29, 2006, January 5, 8, 9, and 10, 2007 in The Daily Record.

“The Maryland Parole Commission reviewed each of these cases, and concluded that all of these men and women deserved a second chance,” said Parole Commission Chairman David R. Blumberg. “They have worked hard to turn their lives around and have succeeded.”

In four years, Governor Ehrlich has reviewed over 510 clemency cases. The Governor’s final clemency actions bring the total number of clemency executive orders signed by Governor Ehrlich to 249, including 228 pardons, 15 commutations of sentence, and 6 medical commutation/paroles.

Governor Ehrlich stated: “I am honored to have granted clemency to hundreds of people, who worked hard to better their lives and make a contribution to society, thereby restoring their dignity, creating hope and opportunities for themselves and others, and permanently transforming their futures.”

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Background:

Under Article II, Section 20 of the Maryland Constitution, the Governor may grant reprieves and pardons. A pardon is an act of clemency in which the Governor, by order, absolves the grantee from the guilt of the grantee’s criminal act(s) and exempts the grantee from any continuing penalties imposed by law for those criminal acts. A pardon does not remove a conviction from a person’s criminal record. The records of the conviction(s) continue to exist in both court and law enforcement files, unless the grantee obtains an expungement from the court(s) that originally presided over the case(s) in question.

The legal process to grant a pardon as set forth in Correctional Services Title §7-206 authorizes the Maryland Parole Commission (“MPC”) to review and make recommendations to the Governor concerning a pardon, commutation of sentence, or other clemency. This nonbinding recommendation is submitted to the Governor for review. The Governor may choose to accept, modify, or reject MPC’s recommendation. Governor Ehrlich’s guidelines for pardon consideration are set forth below:

1. No application for pardon shall be considered while the petitioner is incarcerated.

2. Misdemeanants must have been crime-free for a period of five (5) years from the date of sentence, release from incarceration, or release from parole or probation, whichever last occurred.

3. Except as provided in paragraph #4, felons must have been crime-free for ten (10) years from the date of sentence, release from incarceration, or release from parole or probation, whichever last occurred except, however, the Parole Commission may, at its discretion and in specific instances, consider cases in which only seven (7) years have elapsed.

4. Felons convicted of crimes of violence as in §14-101 of the Criminal Law Article and felons convicted of controlled dangerous substance violations must have been crime-free for twenty (20) years from the date of sentence, release from incarceration, or release from parole or probation, whichever last occurred, except, however, the Parole Commission may, at its discretion and in specific instances, consider cases in which only fifteen (15) years have elapsed.

For purposes of effectuating a pardon, the Governor must issue a written executive order under the great seal. In addition, pursuant to the Constitution of Maryland, the Governor “shall give notice, in one or more newspapers, of the application made for pardon, and of the day on, or after which, his decision will be given.”

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