Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 9-3-19

National
New York State Officially Decriminalizes Marijuana
Man Who Spent 36 Years
In Prison For Stealing
$50 From A Bakery Is
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
took to Twitter Wednesday (Aug. 28) to announce a New York State law has gone into effect which will decriminalize the use of marijuana.
“Communities of color have been disproportion- ately impacted by laws gov- erning marijuana for far too long, and today we are end- ing this injustice once and for all,” Cuomo's state- ment read.
“By providing individu-
taking a critical step for- ward in addressing a bro- ken and discriminatory criminal justice process.”
Under the new law, New York resident with low- level marijuana convictions will have their records wiped.
The New York State Di- vision of Criminal Justice Services estimates 14,000 people from all five bor- oughs, and 11,000 across the state will qualify under the new law.
Now Set To Be Freed
A man in Alabama just had his sentence changed so that he’ll be getting out of prison in the next few days.
His crime: Stealing $50.75 from a bakery 36 years ago. Alvin Kennard was 22 years old when he was sen- tenced to life without the possibility of parole back in 1984. Alabama state law at the time mandated that since it was his fourth offense, the judge had no other option than to sentence him to life in prison.
That law, the Habitual Felony Offender Act, has since been changed so that judges now have the option of giving fourth-time offend- ers the possibility of parole. But when that change took place in the early 2000s it wasn’t made retroactive, so it didn’t automatically prompt a re-sentencing in Ken- nard’s case.
Instead, it was the curios- ity of a judge that led to the re-sentencing of Kennard, who is now 58 years old.
"The judge in this case no- ticed how odd it seemed that someone was serving life without parole for a $50 rob- bery," said Kennard’s at- torney, Carla Crowder, who said it was Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Cir- cuit Judge David Carpen- ter who saw Kennard’s case when some documents came across his desk.
"This was a judge that kind of went out of his way," Crowder told ABC News.
als who have suffered the consequences of an unfair marijuana conviction with a path to have their records expunged and by reducing draconian penalties, we are
Alvin Kennard before his hearing Wednesday, August 28, 2019, where a judge or- dered he had served his time and should be released from prison
Assistant District Attor- ney Bill North said that Kennard’s behavior in prison played a role in the judge’s decision when, on Wednesday, the judge de- cided to change Kennard’s sentence to time served, ef- fectively prompting his re- lease in the coming days.
North said that "other than a few ‘settling in’ issues 30 years ago, [Kennard] appeared to be a pretty ex- emplary inmate."
The underlying reason why Kennard, a man who now lives in the faith-based wing of Donaldson Correc- tional Facility, was sentenced to life without parole for the robbery of Highlands Bakery in 1983 was because he had been previously convicted of three non-violent property crimes.
Newark Will Reportedly Allocate $120 Million To Replace Lead Pipes
Earlier this month, Newark, New Jersey, experienced a water crisis that officials are acting swiftly to remedy. Ac- cording to NJ.com, pipes in several housing units were contaminated with lead due to "decades-old lead service lines."
Over the span of three years, a $120 million bond will aim to replace these pipes and will be contingent upon land- lords agreeing to the "line re- placement program" set forth
by the city. According to State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex),
getting landlords on board will help to accelerate the pace.
Suspected Serial Rapist Was Hired As A 2018 Police Recruit
A suspected serial rapist who was hired as a police re- cruit in Clayton County, Geor- gia was arrested Tuesday (Aug. 27) after DNA evidence linked him to seven assaults and one sexual battery.
During a press conference, Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts took respon- sibility for hiring 24-year-old Kenneth Thomas Bowen III last year.
Bowen "was hired, by me, in June of 2018, and he was also terminated by me on Sept. 12, 2018," Roberts said. "He was removed from this
A suspected serial rapist who was hired as a police re- cruit in Clayton County, Geor- gia was arrested Tuesday (Aug. 27) after DNA evidence linked him to seven assaults and one sexual battery.
agency during the academy process for being absent with- out leave. During the internal investigation, he was untruth- ful, which caused me to sepa- rate him from this agency."
The chief explained Bowen was scheduled to at- tend academy training and didn't arrive on time. When a superior questioned, Bowen reportedly said he was 30 minutes away. He didn't arrive for another three or four hours. When questioned about his whereabouts, Bowen didn't have a solid
alibi.
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