By the time Kenosha violent felon Sharmain Harris had his chance to address Governor Evers’ Pardon Board today, five people with non-violent felony convictions spoke.
Cindy Dawes was grilled by the board for paying the bail of, and giving money to, an inmate for honey-buns while she worked as a correctional officer in 2007. She was convicted of misconduct in public office. She got no jail time for this conviction. She later got her probation revoked for contacting this inmate again and did about a year in jail.
LaToya Jones was grilled by the board for writing bad checks worth $1,521. She was convicted of forgery. She got no jail time.
Veronica Martin used bad checks to buy a large amount of dog food to start a pet store. She was grilled by the board for her felony conviction.
Roy Martin used a fake social security number to apply for a cell phone and was convicted of a felony. He was grilled by the board.
Gregory Cerro forged a check in 1991 and was convicted of a felony. He was grilled by the board.
It was then Harris’ turn to address the board.
“All right so in 2009 I was investigated and I sold [crack] to a confidential informant three times. When I was arrested, I thought it was just a routine traffic top stop but I sat in a cell for four hours and then realized that it was much more. I was charged with possession with the intent to deliver twice and then another charge as well as a party. I sat in jail for two months and while my dad kind of worked on my behalf and my dad ended up putting up his house to bond me out. And so two months after I was arrested I bonded out, I made up in my mind I said I vowed that I was going to turn the straight and narrow and not do anything else but while I’ll I ran into a person that I had a previous altercation with it, during my street life in past past life and so things got physical with us and after we got done fighting you know I went and told my people he went and told his people we met up in the middle of the street and had this giant brawl um so I ended up uh bail jumping and being charged with a like numerous charges, but they end up pleading it down to just the felony bail jumping. That violation oh so so all of this combined I was end up I end up being sentenced to one year in jail with four years probation with the condition that if I messed up I would face 15 years in prison and so again I thought I was gonna get out and kind of change my life. I got out 2010 in March I believe in March 2011 I messed up again I had an altercation with my girlfriend at the time who’s, who’s my current wife but some stuff happened with the phones, got caught cheating and um she possessed a lot of my belongings at the time I wasn’t like completely out of uh selling not, not the hard stuff but just a different drugs and I made the decision to go in the house uh forcefully and then I was charged with battery and misdemeanor damage the property and strangulation and suffocation um to my girlfriend at the time. So this this time I I really you know messed up and then I was I went back in front of the judge and I was sentenced to five years in prison.”
Liberal Pastor Jerry Hancock asked Harris, “Did you see the very impressive letters of support you got from [DA Michael Graveley (D)] and from [Judge Mary K. Wagner (D)], who sentenced you? Did you see those? How did that make you feel?” The sole African American on the pardon board, Anthony Cooper, Sr, who is also a convicted felon for selling drugs, asked no questions of the non-violent applicants that proceeded Harris, but asked Harris about his “future goals.”
Harris said he wants to run for the Kenosha County Board and the School Board if he gets the pardon.
If Harris gets a pardon or not will be announced in about 2 months.
A recap of Harris’ charging history is below.
–Felony Second Degree Reckless Endangerment
–Felony Burglary
–Felony Strangulation and Suffocation (Repeater)
–Felony Bail Jumping
–Felony Bail Jumping
–Felony Bail Jumping
–Felony Manufacture and Deliver Cocaine on or near a school (Possession with Intent)
–Felony Manufacture and Deliver Cocaine on or near a school (Possession with Intent)
–Felony Imitation of Controlled Substance on or near a school (Possession with Intent)
–Felony Imitation of Controlled Substance on or near a school (Possession with Intent)-
–Misdemeanor Battery (Repeater)
–Misdemeanor Theft (Repeater)
–Misdemeanor Criminal Damage to Property (Repeater)
–Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct
–Misdemeanor Criminal Damage to Property
–Misdemeanor Resist/Obstruct Officer
-Ordinance Possession of Marijuana
-Ordinance Retail Theft
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Curfew
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-Ordinance Operating Vehicle after Suspension
-(10) Other Traffic Citations
10 Responses
I said from day one he will get his pardon. The left wants criminals to walk with no consequences while they try to hold others accountable. Hypocrites at best. Our city is a joke and so is the leaders of this state. Soon no bail like Chicago and crime will rise.
Why be surprised……the board looks to be made up of a Mexican, a black, 2 dykes, and probably a really Democratic old white guy.
Is he related to the Rev. Harris who worked with the Frank Neighborhood Project some years ago?
I think Harris and gravely are homosexuals.How else can this guy with a record like this not be in prison for years? The parole board needs to be changed. That’s why we need Michaels as governor.
This is not the parole commission. It’s the pardon advisory board. The governor has no say so in paroles but is the ultimate decision maker for executive clemency.
This guy acted like he was LeBron James, without the Beverly Hills address. First of all sir, with all due respect, why are you after “grants?” And free money? Without having any input from the general public? Secondly, he obviously did all this stuff by himself, he’s a hero, look at me. I did, I did, I did… Jesus would be proud.
If they vote to recommend a pardon it would likely be because of the letters from the judge and district attorney. Harris did not show much insight or remorse. And his crimes were not as minor as the others before the board that day.
I can see Governor Evers granting him a pardon just so that he can have more losers in county and City government. He loves liberal losers in offices across the state. He’s even got one in his mirror.