Governor Schwarzenegger Grants Three Pardons

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today (December 22, 2004) announced his decision to pardon James Brown, Antonio Garcia, and Alec Webster. All three of these individuals committed non-violent crimes decades ago and since that time they have become contributing members of their communities.

In 1971, at the age of 19, James Brown, of Arvada, Colorado, was convicted of burglary and driving under the influence of drugs [DUID] in Riverside County. He served four months and 29 days in a narcotic-addiction-treatment program and then was released on parole.
Since his discharge from parole more than 31 years ago, Brown has contributed to the community through his academic achievements and by providing substance-abuse counseling and teaching for many years as a college professor, and volunteering for a nonprofit organization.

In 1978, at the age of 26, Antonio Garcia, of Hacienda Heights, was convicted of two counts of sale of a controlled substance in Los Angeles County. He served approximately one year and eight months on probation and completed a residential drug-treatment program. Since his discharge from probation more than 24 years ago, Garcia has gone on to contribute to the community by serving for 20 years on the Board of Directors for a local drug-treatment program and serving, as a member of the California State Bar, on various Superior Court committees relating to juvenile-dependency law.

In 1975, at the age of 24, Alec Webster, of Santa Cruz, was convicted of one count of possession of marijuana for sale and one count of transportation/sale of a controlled substance in Santa Cruz County. He served approximately two years, eight months on probation. Since his discharge from probation more than 26 years ago, Webster has contributed to the community in which he has lived for more than 20 years through his academic achievements and extensive volunteer and philanthropic activities.

The Governor's proclamations granting these pardons are available on the Governor's Web site at the links below.

The California Constitution empowers the Governor to grant executive clemency, including pardons, at his discretion and on conditions he deems proper. Pardons forgive a crime but do not erase a conviction. The procedure by which California residents may apply for a pardon is set forth in the California Penal Code. Details regarding the pardon- application process and eligibility requirements can be viewed on the Board of Prison Terms Web site at http://reply.ca.gov/67294.30431.0.0.http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bpt.ca.gov%2Fapply_for_pardon.pdf.

Additional Information:

To date Governor Schwarzenegger has issued three pardons.
The following is a record of the number of pardons previous Governors have chosen to grant:

• Governor Davis: none
• Governor Wilson: 13
• Governor Deukmejian: 328
• Governor Brown: 403
• Governor Reagan: 575