NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Christmas Eve, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has granted 127 pardons.
The individuals granted pardons all completed their sentences and have been released from custody for more than a decade without further criminal activity.
Individuals who have been convicted of a crime in California may apply to the governor for a pardon.
Most applicants for a pardon have obtained a certificate of rehabilitation, which is an order from a superior court declaring that a person convicted of a crime is now rehabilitated.
A gubernatorial pardon may be granted to people who have demonstrated exemplary behavior and have lived productive and law-abiding lives following their conviction.
Pardons are not granted unless they are earned, the Governor's Officer reported.
When a pardon is granted, the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are notified so that they may update their records on the applicant.
The pardon is filed with the secretary of state and the legislature, and it is a public record.
Among those granted pardons by the governor on Tuesday were several people from around the North Coast and Northern California.
They include:
– Donald Keith Hewitt, sentenced in May 1989 in Mendocino County Superior Court for transporting marijuana. He served one year and nine months on probation, was discharged in March 1991 and received his certificate of rehabilitation in June 2005.
– Randall Cerefino Lamb, sentenced in January 1978 in Mendocino County Superior Court for possession of a controlled substance. He served two years on probation and was discharged in February 1980. He received his certificate of rehabilitation in 1990 and now lives in France.
– Marshall Christopher McKay, sentenced in August 1973 in Sonoma County Superior Court for transportation of a controlled substance for sale. He served three years on probation and was discharged in August 1976. McKay received his certificate of rehabilitation in December 2012.
– Charles Edward Rafferty, who was sentenced in October 1990 in Napa County Superior Court for the sale and furnishing of marijuana. He served three years on probation and was discharged in October 1993. Rafferty, who now lives in Oregon, received his certificate of rehabilitation in August 2009.
– David Allan Newton, who was sentenced in November 1991 in Butte County Superior Court for petty theft with prior misdemeanor offenses. He served one year and six months on probation, two years in prison and 13 months on parole, and was discharged in July 1995. He received his rehabilitation certificate this past January. Newton is active in his community and volunteers at his church.
– Arlette Adelle Wendlandt (Large), sentenced in November 1995 in Humboldt County Superior Court to two years and five months on probation for burglarizing a home and taking food to feed her children. Wendlandt, who was discharged in June 1998, received her certificate of rehabilitation in January 2006. The governor's pardon noted that she has worked in chemical dependency recovery centers, is active in her community, and has been clean and sober for more than 14 years.
The full list of pardons can be seen below.