AUSTIN, Texas — Eight Texans have been granted pardons for a variety of crimes, including a handful of people from the Houston area, but procedural errors kept more than two dozen off the list, according to Gov. Greg Abbott's office.
One name not on the list was former Houston resident George Floyd regarding a 2004 drug arrest by Houston police officer Gerald Goines.
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"The Board of Pardons and Paroles has withdrawn 25 clemency recommendations that contained procedural errors and lack of compliance with Board rules," Governor's Press Secretary Renae Eze said in a statement. "Among the recommendations withdrawn was one concerning George Floyd. The Board will review and resolve procedural errors and issues related to any pending applications in compliance with their rules. As a result of the Board's withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it. Governor Abbott will review all recommendations that the Board submits for consideration."
Floyd spent much of his life in Houston before his death last year in Minneapolis led to a reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing.
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The board's presiding officer, David Gutiérrez, said in a letter to the governor's office that there were initially 67 clemency recommendations, but the board made a number of "unexplained departures from its own rules" when issuing some of them.
"I understand the importance of following the Board's rules, and will ensure that the Board takes greater care to do so in 2022 and beyond," Gutiérrez said in the letter.
The pardons granted for the eight people include:
- David Boyd Pool, 74, for theft in 1965 (Galveston County). Pool was sentenced to 2 years of probation.
- Gary Lynn Dickey, 42, for burglary of a vehicle in 1997 (Washington County). Dickey was sentenced to 2 years of deferred adjudication probation.
- Christina Marie Edgar, formerly Christina Marie Emmert, 52, for theft in 2013 (Dallas County). Edgar was sentenced to 3 years of probation and a $1,500 fine.
- Subrina Sophus-Collins, formerly Subrina Maeca Sophus, 54, for unlawfully carrying a weapon on alcohol premises in 1994 (Harris County). Sophus-Collins was sentenced to 2 years of deferred adjudication probation and a $500 fine.
- Olukayode David Koleosho, 46, for robbery in 1996 (Fort Bend County). Koleosho was sentenced to 3 years of deferred adjudication probation and a $300 fine.
- David Anthony Mendes, 46, for theft in 1994 (Collin County). Mendes was sentenced to 3 years of deferred adjudication probation.
- Joe Bob Wilcoxson, 76, for theft in 2013 (Ellis County). Wilcoxson was sentenced to 3 years of probation and a $2,500 fine.
- Joseph Edward Braithwaite, 59, for evasion of income taxes in 1999 (United States District Court, Southern District of New York). Braithwaite was sentenced to a $150 assessment.