Monday, November 30, 2009

Man sought for questioning in the execution of four Washington state police officers was granted clemency by former Guv. Huckabee

Rev. Huck has some 'splaining to do. How is the world did Huck allow a career criminal out of prison?

Here's the scoop:

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.

Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year, issued a statement tonight calling the slaying of the police officers "a horrible and tragic event."

If Clemmons is found responsible, "it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State," Huckabee said.

He added that Clemmons' release from prison had been reviewed and approved by the Arkansas parole board.

And there is more:

In May of 2000, Mike Huckabee commuted Clemmons having been 17 at the time of his offenses. And this important nugget about Huckabee as Governor:

The New York Times reports:

The Long Run
Persuasive Huckabee Changed a State, His Way

By ADAM NOSSITER and DAVID BARSTOW
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In more than a decade of presiding over this state, Mike Huckabee produced a legacy like few other Republican governors in the South, surprising even liberal Democrats with his willingness to upend some of Arkansas’s more parochial traditions. …”

(Snip!)
“… Against the political advice of his party and his aides, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of hundreds of convicts, including murderers, sometimes over the heated objections of prosecutors and victims’ families. He was cited five times by the state ethics commission for financial improprieties, and unapologetically accepted tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothes and other gifts while he was governor. …”

(Snip!)
“… the governor spoke out angrily when reporters and others questioned the startling stream of gifts that flowed in from supporters and friends. …”

(Snip!)
“… in a small though significant number of cases, he commuted prison sentences for murderers and other violent criminals over the pleas of victims’ families, prosecutors and judges. And as his reputation for granting clemency spread, applications surged. …”


(Snip!)
“… Mr. Huckabee’s approach to clemency was heavily influenced by his religious beliefs. …”

(Snip!)
“… “He just doesn’t want to talk to victims’ families,” Elaine Colclasure, co-leader of the Central Arkansas chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a victims’ advocacy group, said in an interview last week. “He doesn’t want anyone questioning anything he does. And when you do, he bristles. His compassion is for the murderer and any criminal who says he has found Jesus.”
Dee McManus Engle, another member of the group, recalled accompanying a murder victim’s widow to a scheduled meeting at the governor’s office. “We stayed there half the day trying to talk with Huckabee,” Ms. Engle said, adding, “It was the most important thing in her life, and she was in tears because she could not get to the governor.” …
(Snip!)

1 comment:

airJackie said...

Just think if Rev. Huck has become President. Now prisoners used Jesus to get out of jail with Rev. Hucks blessings. How many crimes and murders have been done by these criminals Huckabee released early. Many lives could have been saved and even the 4 police officers if the criminals were required to serve their time for the crime. I notice the Press and the Media refuse to ID this suspect as a man Rev. Huck gave earlie release not even doing less then a third of his sentence. How many others will we learn of that Rev. Huck released and how many lives could have been saved.