Vanguard News Desk Editor
SACRAMENTO, CA – California Gov. Gavin Newsom, his office announced Monday, pardoned five veterans—and he is seeking a pardon for a sixth Medal of Honor vet posthumously, according to CBS News, Los Angeles.
The governor can grant clemency—pardon, commute or reprieve a sentence—to a convicted person, and it allows “the governor to influence criminal justice in several ways, including correcting unjust results in the legal system,” according to Newsom’s office.
Pardons, explained CBS, can “restore certain rights people lose after a conviction, such as serving on a jury or obtaining some professional licenses,” although California pardons do not “explicitly forgive the person’s crimes but acknowledges the positive growth the individual made, according to UCLA School of Law as noted in the CBS LA story.
The five veterans, who served honorably in the armed forces, were convicted of crimes such as robbery and drug charges decades ago, according to the governor’s office.
The most recent conviction happened in 1994, while the oldest happened in 1966, said CBS, noting “Newsom prefaced the pardons with the state’s initiative to invest in veterans’ mental health.”
Newsom said in a statement, “California’s veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our country, and it is our duty – and our honor – to ensure that we provide for them and their families when they return home. These investments will help us expand access to and develop even more lifesaving supports for all our veterans.”
The veterans pardons included, according to the governor’s statement:
Don Archibald, U.S. Army and Army Reserves, and was sentenced to five years to life in prison for first-degree robbery on May 24, 1966, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Marcus Page, U.S. Marines, and was sentenced to three years of probation and 240 days in jail for the transport or sale of a controlled substance in San Diego County Superior Court on April 7, 1994.
Robert Teagle, U.S. Army as an Army Ranger, was sentenced to three years of probation and 69 days in jail for the transport or sale of a controlled substance on Sept. 4, 1981, in San Bernardino County Superior Court. Teagle was wounded in action, received a Purple Heart and the Silver Star during his time in service.
Alex Zonn, U.S. Air Force, was sentenced to three years of probation and 60 days in jail for possessing marijuana for sale on Feb. 16, 1970, in Ventura County Superior Court.
Brian Tinney, U.S. Navy, was sentenced to five years of probation and 90 days in jail for grand theft of property on Jan. 25, 1994, in San Diego County Superior Court. On July 11, 1996, Tinney was sentenced to a concurrent term of two years in prison for the crime of felon in possession of a firearm.
The governor’s office said state law does not allow Newsom to pardon or commute the sentences of someone with more than one felony conviction without the high court’s approval, but the California Supreme Court reviewed the case and recommended Tinney for a pardon.
Newsom announced he is also seeking a posthumous pardon for Sgt. Richard Allen Penry, an Army veteran who received the Medal of Honor, but was convicted of drug-related crimes, so his pardon also requires the approval of the California Supreme Court.
