Gov. Brad Little issues first pardons of administration

BOISE (KIVI) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced the issuance of two pardons on Friday, the first of his tenure as Idaho’s governor.

Both men pardoned were convicted of delivery of a controlled substance. Fred Charles Wiley of Elmore County was charged in 1981 and was sentenced to 1-2 years in prison and released on parole in 1984. According to a release from the governor’s office, Wiley ran a BMW motorcycle business in Boise for 40 years, servicing the Boise Police Department’s motorcycle fleet. According to the governor’s office, judges and law enforcement officers wrote to the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole in favor of pardoning Wiley.

Kenneth James Taylor of Pocatello was the other man receiving a pardon, after his conviction coming in 1992 for 2-5 years in prison. Taylor completed his sentence in 1998 and then earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. The release from the governor’s office states that Taylor has worked as a substance abuse and domestic violence counselor and that he volunteered with veteran organizations, Narcotics Anonymous and in eastern Idaho jails.

“The goal of the criminal justice system is to punish the crime and rehabilitate offenders,” Governor Little said in the release. “Mr. Wiley and Mr. Taylor have demonstrated how the system can succeed through their service and dedication to their communities following their sentences. Their effort to better themselves and those around them was a key factor in my decision to grant these pardons.”

The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole can grant pardons for lesser crimes; more serious offenses require the governor’s approval.

This article was originally published by fellow CNN affiliate KIVI. It is used here with permission.