Biden commutes sentencing of Colville woman in record-setting act of clemency
In a record-setting act of clemency, President Joe Biden commuted 1,499 prison sentences and granted 39 pardons to nonviolent offenders Thursday morning, including a 60-year-old woman from Colville.
The White House says Rosetta Jean Davis and the others pardoned have led exemplary lives after incarceration. The pardons set the record for most commutations issued in a single day by an American president.
“After successfully serving her sentence, Ms. Davis has maintained steady employment, including by working as a peer supporter for those struggling with substance abuse,” The White House said in a news release. “Colleagues, family, friends and neighbors all speak highly of her, citing her hard work, dependability, and willingness to serve as an example of rehabilitation to those with criminal records or who are battling addiction.”
According to court documents, Davis and four others were charged in April 2003 with three drug-related offenses: two counts of methamphetamine distribution and one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams.
The count of conspiracy to distribution, however, was dropped later that year.
She was sentenced to two years of probation after entering a plea agreement.
Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two other Washington residents also received pardons. They are 36-year-old Terence Jackson of Seattle, who pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense committed at age 23, and 74-year-old Russell Thomas Portner of Toutle, a Vietnam War veteran and Bronze Star recipient who was honorably discharged after earning multiple military decorations.