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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
In the midst of the continued war on drugs being fought across the state, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of three drug offenders in Tennessee.
In a tweet, Biden said that his decision to offer pardon and clemency to a total of 78 individuals would “enhance the wellbeing and safety of all Americans.”
All three of the Tennesseans who received a commuted sentence had been found guilty of drug possession with the intent to sell.
Virgil Goodman, Jr., of Lexington was found guilty of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 262 months in jail and six years of supervised release. Biden commuted his sentence to expire on August 24, 2022, after serving just over 17 years in prison. The supervised release was left intact.
Bethel Cheyenne Mooneyham of Spencer was sentenced in 2011 to 240 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. Her commuted sentence will expire on August 24, 2022, leaving her serving only 11 of her 20-year prison sentence. The supervised release is still in effect.
Brandon Jermaine Huguley of Chattanooga was originally sentenced to 235 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the sale of cocaine. In 2017, that sentence was amended to 188 months of prison time plus the supervised release.
Biden commuted his sentence to expire on April 26, 2023, instead of the original date of 2032, reducing his sentence by 9 years. Huguley will now spend the remainder of his sentence in home confinement, followed by the five-year supervised release term.
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According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 80% of crimes in Tennessee are drug-related in some way. The number of deaths related to drug overdoses continues to rise across the state, and Tennessee ranks number 2 in the nation for opioid use. Approximately 50% of all children removed from their homes by the Tennessee Department of Human Services were taken because of drug use by parents.
Despite these statistics, Biden has opted to allow these drug criminals to be back on Tennessee’s streets even sooner than originally planned.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
