Top Kenton County prosecutor calls pardons issued by former Kentucky Gov. Bevin 'abuse of discretion'
Rob Sanders says pardons given to child molesters, murderers, rapists
Rob Sanders says pardons given to child molesters, murderers, rapists
Rob Sanders says pardons given to child molesters, murderers, rapists
Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders once supported former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. But now Sanders wishes he could take that support back due to a growing controversy involving pardons Bevin granted during his final hours in office.
"It’s those most serious cases that I’m ultimately concerned about – the child molestings, the rapes, the murders, the child murderers," Sanders said.
Sanders said Kentuckians convicted of those kinds of crimes can now act as if they never happened, thanks to Bevin's slew of pardons.
"I feel especially bad for the victims that have been victimized all over again, that didn’t even get so much as a heads-up or a warning from the governor’s office or anybody in state government," Sanders said. "They didn’t call us. I found out about it from my Twitter feed."
Sanders is especially troubled that Bevin pardoned Micah Schoettle. Last year, a jury convicted Schoettle of raping a 9-year-old girl. Schoettle was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
"He (Bevin) didn’t review my file. He didn’t review Erlanger Police Department’s file. He never talked to the victim or her mother," Sanders said. "So it really makes you wonder – what was he basing his decision off of."
Sanders said similar questions are being asked across the Bluegrass State.
"Governors certainly have the legal ability to pardon whoever they want. But there’s been a number of cases around the state that are questionable in terms of who was pardoned," Sanders said. "And to my knowledge there’s never pardons that were granted to people who had just thrown the governor political fundraisers. So obviously those are the things that have raised eyebrows."
Sanders said he's now investigating the circumstances connected to Schoettle's pardon, which clearly strikes a nerve in the one-time Bevin supporter.
"This is really unspeakable; abuse of discretion," he said.
Sanders supports an effort by lawmakers to make the pardon process more transparent. He believes Bevin issued 600 pardons and wouldn't be surprised if more questionable cases come to light.