Clemency papers shed light on suspect's past
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Documents that have come to light in the wake of the shooting of four deputies outside Seattle show that the suspected gunman was granted clemency from a decades-long prison term nine years ago by then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
Documents from the Arkansas parole board ultimately end with the signature of then-governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee - granting Maurice Clemmons clemency in 2000.
Clemmons was serving a 95-year sentence for a 1990 conviction that included armed robbery.
Huckabee cited Clemmons' youth - he was 17 at the time - as one reason for Clemmons early release. Huckabee came under fire during the 2008 presidential campaign for his many clemency and sentence commutations.
In 2004, Clemmons returned to jail for new offenses.
On Sunday, Huckabee issued a statement on his Web site, saying “should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state.”
Even more recent charges in Washington include assaulting a police officer and second degree rape of a child.
The Seattle Times reports Clemmons posted bond with $15,000 of his own money and was released from jail last week. Bail was set at $150,000, but only 10 percent of the amount is usually required to post bond.
Documents relating to the pending charges indicate Clemmons has an unstable and volatile personality.
In one case, he reportedly gathered his wife and young relatives and forced them to undress as he kept saying things indicating the world would end soon and that he was Jesus.
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