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Obama commutes sentences of 5 Indiana inmates

Posted at 9:36 PM, Jan 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-18 03:18:04-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- As one of his final acts as President of the United States, Barack Obama granted commutation of sentence to 209 inmates and gave 64 pardons on Tuesday.

Five of those commutations were for inmates from Indiana.

During the course of his presidency, Obama has shortened prison sentences over 1,000 inmates, more than all of his 11 predecessors combined.

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Most of those sentence reductions have been for non-violent drug offenders, including the five Hoosiers that had their sentences shortened on Tuesday. Four of those five were serving life sentences.

Below are their names and the details of their sentences:

1 - Turner Ashe, Jr. ? Indianapolis, IN

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and/or distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 31, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 17, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

2 - Jeffery Garrett – Indianapolis, IN

Offense: Knowingly possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing cocaine base; possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: Life plus 60 months’ imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 3, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

3 - Tony Johnson – Evansville, IN

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base (mixture), 5 kilograms of cocaine and marijuana (mixture); Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 13, 2006)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 210 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

4 - Wesley Eugene Northington – Evansville, IN

Offense: Distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 5, 2003)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 17, 2017.

5 - Raymond M. Walker, III – Evansville, IN

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base in excess of five grams of cocaine base (two counts); Southern District of Indiana

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 9, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 300 months' imprisonment.