WASHINGTON, D.C. President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 214 individuals Wednesday, the most grants of clemency in a single day since at least 1900, the White House said. Eight of the 2014 were from North Carolina.Obama has now granted a total of 562 commutations during his presidency, more than the number by the past nine presidents combined, it said.The president has worked to reform the U.S. criminal justice system to reduce the number of people serving long, and in many cases life, sentences for drug related crimes. It is a rare topic in which the Democratic president has received support from Republican lawmakers.Many of the convicts had been serving time for crack cocaine. For years crack offenders faced stiffer penalties than offenders of powder cocaine, even though the substances are similar on a molecular level. Critics have said the disparity has unfairly harmed minority and poor communities.In 2014, Obama announced the most ambitious clemency program in 40 years, inviting thousands of drug offenders and other convicts to seek early release. But the program, which automatically expires when Obama leaves office next January, has struggled under a flood of unprocessed cases.”Our work is far from finished,” Neil Eggleston, the White House counsel, said about the commutations. Eggleston urged Congress to take action. “While we continue to work to act on as many clemency applications as possible, only legislation can bring about lasting change to the federal system,” he said. The eight people from North Carolina are:Barry Charles Butler Shelby, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North CarolinaSentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 30, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment.Ricky Darden Kinston, N.C.Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); District of MarylandSentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (April 16, 1996)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Alonzo Mackins, Jr. CharlotteOffense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine, cocaine base, heroin, and marijuana; conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of North CarolinaSentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 8, 1999); amended to 360 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (August 14, 2006); amended to life imprisonment (September 2, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Thomas Jefferson Price, III Kernersville, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy: possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine; possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine (three counts); Middle District of North CarolinaSentence: 330 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 24, 1999)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Jack Dewhan Randolph CharlotteOffense: Possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and aiding and abetting the same (two counts); Western District of North CarolinaSentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (November 29, 2000)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Breon Montez Sanders Wilmington, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) and five kilograms of cocaine; Eastern District of North CarolinaSentence: 295 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (August 17, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Rodney Edward Wall Rockingham, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine and cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a protected area; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of North CarolinaSentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 7, 2000)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.Dennis Merrimon Waters Hendersonville, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine; Western District of North CarolinaSentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 1, 2002)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment.Karen Denise Witherspoon Lenoir, N.C.Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North CarolinaSentence: 324 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (September 10, 2007); amended to 262 months’ imprisonment (November 19, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
