Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is in the crosshairs as a man he pardoned only a few months ago has recently been charged with DUI and accused of fleeing the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old woman.
Harry Bostick, a retired IRS agent who has previously been convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol three times, was just released from jail on a $50,000 bond after being charged at the end of last week.
Bostick was arrested for crashing into a car in Mississippi in October being driven by 18-year-old Charity Smith, then fleeing the scene of the crime. He has also been charged with death caused by driving under the influence (DUI) and was indicted on the charges by a Mississippi grand jury on May 10.
Governor Barbour, who left office in January after eight years, sparked much criticism after granting nearly 200 pardons on his way out of office. He said he was merely attempting to show mercy and a spirit of forgiveness to hopefully give the inmates a second chance at life.
Once the Mississippi Parole Board signed off on Bostick’s pardon request Barbour signed it on January 10, 2012. The review by the Parole Board occurred just a week before the incident involving the 18-year-old.
Governor Barbour’s spokeswoman, Laura Hipp, said that “In reviewing Mr. Bostick’s case, Governor Barbour took the Parole Board’s recommendation into consideration, and he wasn’t aware of the subsequent charges.”
This incident marks Bostick’s fourth DUI offense but because of the pardon, it will only be tried as his third. Bostick’s lawyer plans to plead not guilty, blaming the other driver for the accident. “It’s a terrible tragedy, we feel so sorry for the Smith family,” he said. “But it is our position that Ms. Smith did in fact pull out in front of him and the wreck was unavoidable.”
The Bostick case is expected to go to trial in July although a final date has not yet been set.
If you’ve been involved in something that requires the skill of an experienced Mississippi criminal defense lawyer, contact Stroud, Flechas & Dalton.
Source: “Man pardoned by Mississippi’s Barbour charged in fatal crash,” by Emily Le Coz, published at ChicagoTribune.com.
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