Chris Christie Pardons Steffon Josey-Davis On Gun Charge
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has issued a pardon to Steffon Josey-Davis on his felony gun conviction, thereby allowing the 24-year-old to pursue a career in law enforcement.
To avoid prison, Josey-Davis had taken a plea to unlawful possession of a firearm under the state’s strict gun control laws and was sentenced to probation. The career-ending conviction would have ruled out any chance that he could have qualified to be a cop.
Christie’s action gives the aspiring police officer a “full and free” pardon for all criminal charges related to the arrest in question, NJ.com reported. Josey-Davis thanked the governor and remarked that “If it wasn’t for Governor Christie, I wouldn’t be where I am today… This is just opening up new doors for me. I’d just love the chance to fulfill my dream.”
On the verge of joining a local police department, Josey-Davis was working as an armed guard for a security company in September, 2013, when he was pulled over on a Friday night for an expired registration.
Owing to an oversight, he had left his legally owned firearm in the glove compartment rather than locking it in the trunk as required by law, and informed officers of that fact. Cops confiscated the handgun, a 9mm Smith & Wesson, but only wrote him a ticket for the registration infraction. His application for a carry permit was apparently in the works at the time.
When the young man went to the police department in Highland Park, N.J., the following Monday to retrieve his weapon, he was arrested for a second-degree felony gun crime. As alluded to above, he subsequently pleaded the case out to avoid jail time.
Josey-Davis was close to being hired as a patrolman for the North Brunswick, N.J., police department when all this went down. In addition to the pardon application, Josey-Davis waged an aggressive campaign in the news media and on social media to bring attention to his predicament.
His lawyer, gun rights expert Evan Nappen, commented that Josey-Davis “made an honest mistake that he’s explained pretty thoroughly. For him to become a felon and have his life and dreams ruined was just absolutely wrong.” Added Nappen: “This is very deserving, and we are very thankful for the governor issuing this pardon.”
Today Chris Christie pardoned Steffon Josey-Davis: http://t.co/J83CQwvzjx pic.twitter.com/UsfW3veoFN
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) June 8, 2015
Reacting to the Chris Christie Steffon-Josey Davis pardon for the gun felony, HotAir.com commented that “Josey-Davis’ experiences in the justice system may give him an extraordinary background for police work in the community. Let’s hope he gets the chance, and let’s hope that the New Jersey legislature amends its laws to keep cases like these in the future from requiring executive clemency at all.”
[Image via Twitter]
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