Harris met public notice requirement

By JOEL McNEECE
The state attorney general's office continues to investigate the validity of the more than 200 pardons issued by Gov. Haley Barbour during his final days in office, but the pardon issued for Calhoun City's Wayne Harris doesn't appear to be among those in question.

The Associated Press reported last week that as many as 140 files from the prisoners pardoned by Gov. Haley Barbour do not contain information regarding whether the offender met the constitutional requirement for notification.
The state constitution requires that notice of a pardon run in a newspaper in the same county where the crime took place 30 days before the pardon is granted. Harris fulfilled that obligation in The Journal with a public notice printed for four weeks in issues in November and December.
Harris, who pled guilty to sale of marijuana in 2002, was granted a full, unconditional pardon, clearing his record.
Harris said he began working on the pardon in early November with attorney Hiram Eastland of Greenwood.
“I filled out all of the paperwork and application and then went to Jackson for meetings with the parole board and investigators,” Harris said. “All indications were that they were good meetings.”
Harris said his application was accompanied by letters from several local officials supporting his request for a pardon.
Harris said he received two phone calls on the night Barbour issued the pardons, one from Eastland and one from an investigator, informing him his pardon was granted.
Attorney General Jim Hood is challenging many of the 200-plus pardons and has requested the offenders' files from the governor's office. “Obviously it is an arduous task,” Hood said. “We have dedicated a large number of staff to resolving this issue as soon as possible.”
A court order issued by Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green requires that all those receiving a pardon prove at a Jan. 23 hearing that they met the public notice requirement. Harris said he has submitted his proofs of publication to the state.