Governor's Christmas pardons an odd mix, short list

Having earlier mentioned Gov. Rick Perry's relative historical indifference to clemency petitions, I should point out that the Governor issued eight Christmastime pardons this year granting clemency to:

• Cory Gibson Brazeal, 31, of Fort Worth, was convicted in 1998 of resisting arrest at the age of 19. He received 30 days in jail which was probated for one year, and paid a $100 fine. He is granted a full pardon.

• Natalie Ann Dukate, 33, of Dallas, was convicted of possession of marijuana in 1996 at the age of 20 and in 1997 at the age of 21. She received three days in jail and paid a $1,500 fine for the first offense, and 180 days in jail which was probated for 180 days, and paid a $300 fine for the second offense. She is granted a full pardon.

• Dan Warren Luper, 52, of Burleson, was convicted of burglary of a motor vehicle in 1975 at the age of 18. He paid a $1,000 fine. He is granted a full pardon.

• Sheena Nichole McCloud, 24, of Killeen, was convicted of theft by check in 2002 at the age of 17. She received 180 days in jail, and paid a $100 fine and $106.32 restitution. She is granted a full pardon.

• Victor August Moeller Jr., 49, of Moulton, was convicted of driving while intoxicated in 1977 at the age of 17 and evading arrest in 1985 at the age of 25. He received 30 days in jail, which was probated for six months and paid a $100 fine for the first offense, and paid a $273.50 fine for the second offense. He is granted a full pardon.

• Maria Luisa Ramirez, 50, of Lyford, was convicted of theft in 1983 at the age of 23, and driving while intoxicated in 1986 at the age of 26. She paid a $100 fine for the first offense, and received 30 days in jail which was probated for one year and paid a $200 fine for the second offense. She is granted a full pardon.

• Royce Dean Richardson, 68, of Whitewright, was convicted of burglary in 1960 at the age of 20. He received three years probation. He is granted a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights.

• Desire Maraw Taylor, 29, of Belton, was convicted of assault with bodily injury in 2000 at the age of 22. She received three days in jail and paid a $350 fine. She is granted a full pardon.

Just like Perry's previous pardons, this list makes me wonder why these particular folks received clemency for relatively common, low-level offenses when thousands of similarly situated people did not? Cynics may answer, "political connections," but a quick Google of the eight names revealed no obvious links to big donors, powerful interests or political activists. (If you know something I don't on that score, btw, please enlighten us in the comments.)

In particular, this is the second year in a row that a single, petty pot offender has made Perry's Christmas pardon list, but hundreds of thousands of Texans have been convicted of that crime. I'm happy for Ms. Dukate that she received her pardon, but why shouldn't others receive equal consideration? Perhaps petty drug offenders would make a good candidate for the sort of mass clemency recently advocated by bioethicist Jacob Appel on The Huffington Post.

Another interesting thing to note here is the length of time passed since the offenses Perry pardoned. Some follow the time-honored pattern of pardoning older folks for offenses committed in their youth. But two of those pardoned - McCloud and Taylor - are just seven years removed from the crimes that got them in trouble. Ms. Dukate's offenses were only 12 years in the past. I'm glad to see it, but it makes me doubly wonder why more people aren't eligible for clemency if the Governor feels comfortable pardoning these women just seven years after their offenses?

I wonder how many folks we'd be talking about if the Governor were to issue clemency for every low-level pot offender who spent seven years or more after their offense without recidivating? I don't expect Rick Perry to take such a bold step, but this year's Christmas pardons raise those questions, however unlikely such actions might seem given the Governor's past pardon record.