Colorado Gov. Jared Polis pardoned 29 people Wednesday, the second time he’s granted clemency to those convicted of crimes this year.
The latest round came about three months after he commuted the sentence of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of orchestrating a security breach of her county’s election system in 2021. Polis cut her sentence in half, making her eligible to be released on parole in June, amid a pressure campaign from the Trump administration. The move outraged fellow Democrats, who called for him to be impeached or censured.
Polis also pardoned 35 people and commuted the sentences of eight other people when he commuted Peters’ sentence in May.
Polis has pardoned people every year since he took office in 2019. Last year, he issued 22 pardons and commuted the sentences of four people.
Polis has granted 165 pardons and 35 commutations since taking office. He has also granted 4,083 marijuana possession pardons and four pardons for psilocybin and psilocin possession, his office said.
The term-limited governor could still issue more pardons and commutations during his final months in office. In announcing the latest pardons, Polis’ office said he continues to review all clemency applications he received before the April 3 deadline.
The latest people to be pardoned are: Xochilt Alamillo, Harmony Baddeley-Spurlock, Idania Beltran, Derek Bilbrey, Darren Black, James Bruntz, Jr., Sarah Bunting, Seidilyn Burgos, Jonathan Carey, Hemmingway Dai, Jeremy Dieckhoff, Scott Dillon, Steve Estwick, Sr., Sabrina Flanagan, Ernest Flowers, Joshua Hayden, Max Hernandez, Steven Holzwarth, Aidan Kehoe, Robert Kile, Joseph Martinez, Ian McGehee, Chad Meiers, Haven Rohnert, Melanie Roth, Estela Saenz, Joshua Salazar, Justin Sandefur and Travis Weickum.