Outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe plans to pardon his own son for a decade-old felony conviction for possessing marijuana with intention to sell, local news station KATV reported.
How to get away with a marijuana conviction: be the governor’s son
“I would have done it a long time ago if he’d have asked, but he took his sweet time about asking,” Beebe said. “He was embarrassed. He’s still embarrassed, and, frankly, I was embarrassed and his mother was embarrassed. All of the families that go through that, it’s tough on the families, but hopefully the kids learn.”
The Arkansas Parole Board insisted the governor’s obviously personal ties to his son didn’t play a role in the decision. A spokesperson for the Arkansas Parole Board told KATV, “I can tell you that [Kyle] Beebe did not receive any special treatment by the Board while his application was under consideration.”
More than 6,300 people were arrested for marijuana possession in Arkansas in 2010, according to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union. Black Arkansans were 3.1 times more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts.
The full list of Beebe’s executive pardons can be found here, but the list doesn’t include his son just yet.
