DALLAS — A man from McKinney is one of 16 people, two in Texas, President Joe Biden granted clemency for non-violent drug offenses on Wednesday, clearing a decades-old federal drug case from his criminal record.
Eleven people received pardons and five had their sentences commuted.
According to White House officials, 47-year-old Jason Hernandez was given a life sentence plus 320 years for a first-time non-violent drug offense at the age of 21. When it was commuted by President Obama in 2013, he devoted his life to righting the wrongs.
Hernandez was granted early termination of his supervised release in 2021 in recognition of his “exceptional” post-release conduct.
Biden said in a statement Wednesday that April is Second Chance Month and that many of the individuals getting clemency had received “disproportionately longer” sentences than they would have under current law.
The presidential pardon will also allow Hernandez to vote, travel and get a job.
Currently, Hernandez runs a nonprofit that transformed the store where he once sold drugs into a market that provides good quality and affordable food. The store is called La Tiendita which translates to "The Little Store."
Hernandez told WFAA that proceeds from the store, which sits at Greenville and Murray Streets, go back into filling up the shelves and overhead costs.
"The mayor of his hometown, other city officials, colleagues, and community members uniformly attest to the change in Mr. Hernandez’s character since his conviction, the significant contributions he’s made to his community, and his humble, giving nature," the White House said in a statement.
Aside from Texas, residents granted clemency are in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Connecticut, South Carolina, Virginia, New York and Washington, D.C.
