MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Outgoing Gov. Peter Shumlin on Saturday issued 10 pardons to people convicted of various felonies and misdemeanors, including the son of former vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro and the son of former U.S. Rep. Richard Mallary.
Half of the pardons involve people convicted of possessing, selling or growing marijuana, while the rest were people convicted of domestic assault, sexual assault, the sale of cocaine and criminal mischief.
In a statement, Shumlin, a Democrat, said he believes in second chances and “society will continue to move toward a more sensible approach to drug addiction and criminal justice.”
Ferraro’s son, John Zaccaro Jr., was a Middlebury College student when he was arrested in 1986 and accused of selling $25 worth of cocaine to an undercover state police officer. He was convicted in 1988 and served four months under house arrest. At the time, Ferraro accused prosecutors of unfairly targeting her son because of her high profile after becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1984.
Richard Mallary Jr. was convicted in 1978 of selling 3 pounds of marijuana to an undercover police officer while he was a student at the University of Vermont. His father, Republican Richard Mallary, served in the U.S. House in the early 1970s.
Saturday’s pardons were separate from Shumlin’s marijuana pardon program announced this month.
In early December, Shumlin invited residents convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana before the state decriminalized it to apply for pardons. His spokesman said the administration has received 460 applications and is reviewing them.
Zaccaro didn’t immediately respond to messages left for comment. A phone number could not be found for Mallary.
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This story has been corrected to show Mallary was a Republican, not a Democrat.
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