DUI felon pardoned by Mississippi governor facing new charges

[alp227]

Last edited Tue May 15, 2012, 12:07 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: CNN

One of the men controversially pardoned earlier this year by Mississippi's outgoing governor could land back behind bars after being charged with driving drunk and causing an accident that killed an 18-year-old woman.

A Pontotoc County, Mississippi, grand jury has charged Harry Bostick with drunken driving leading to a death, felony drunken driving and fleeing the scene of an accident where a death occurred, according to the indictment filed on Thursday and obtained Monday by CNN. The accident happened in October.

If convicted, Bostick could be sentenced to at least 30 years in prison.

His attorney did not respond immediately to a call on Monday for comment.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/14/justice/mississippi-pardons-new-charges/index.html

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Haley Barbour already put his future political ambitions at risk with these pardons, and (error redacted) he should seek a Witness Protection Program immediately. This article doesn't even mention that Barbour is a Republican.

[LadyHawkAZ]

1. Everyone saw it coming

Sad.

[Beaverhausen]

2. This accident happened BEFORE Barbour pardoned him

It happened in October. He was pardoned in january.

this is fucked up beyond belief.


SNIP
When he received the pardon in January, the convicted DUI felon still sat in an Oxford, Mississippi, jail cell, awaiting formal charges for the arrest tied to that case.

Barbour had said that he wasn't aware of Bostick's October 2011 DUI arrest when he chose to pardon him.

But e-mails obtained by CNN show that the governor's office did, in fact, know about it.

Amanda Jones, the governor's chief counsel, and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann were told about the October car crash that killed Smith just days after it happened.

SNIP

[AndyTiedye]

3. Makes One Wonder Who Did He Know and What Did He Have On 'em?

[Meiko]

4. Would anyone else

agree that this power to pardon needs to be looked at, very closely.

[Recursion]

5. No

It's worth the abuses.

[Meiko]

9. Did you forget

the sarcasm tag or are you cereal?

[Recursion]

10. Cereal

There's a reason the executive's power of pardon is pretty much absolute.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. I was told a long time ago by someone who should know

that Haley Barbour sold pardons. I don't think it will ever be reported by anyone in the state, however; the retribution would be merciless.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. Can't see a criminal statute that was violated

since Barbour wasn't under oath when asked the question.

Might be grounds for a civil complaint, but politicians are generally impervious to civil actions for things done in the "performance of their duty" unless criminal actions were involved.