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A man from Harris County is among three Texans who have been pardoned by Governor Greg Abbott, following recommendations from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Abbott, a member of the Republican party, granted clemency to Jerry Lynn Smith, aged 64, for a theft committed in 1990. Smith had been sentenced to pay a $500 fine.
According to an official release, joining Smith in receiving clemency from the governor's office were Heather Christine Sherman, a 33-year-old North Texan, and Robert Phillip Marsh, a 51-year-old resident of Midland County.
The release stated that Sherman was pardoned for marijuana possession while Marsh received his pardon in response to a theft committed in 1990 for which he was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication probation.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) clarified that clemency encompasses full pardons after conviction or successful completion of a term of deferred adjudication community supervision. It also includes conditional pardons, pardons based on innocence, commutations of sentence and reprieves in capital cases.