The Tennessee Board of Parole on Tuesday recommended a pardon for country music star Jelly Roll, a Nashville native who has spoken openly about his criminal record and what it has taken to overcome it. The board's action leaves the final decision on a pardon up to Gov. Bill Lee. The rapper-turned-country singer said he wants to be able to travel to Canada to perform, which his criminal record makes difficult. Currently, he would need to apply for a special permit that can include long wait times for a decision, according to a letter from an immigration attorney submitted with his clemency packet. He said he would use the pardon for much more than going on tour, though. "I'll still be using this same pardon, God willing, to go do missionary work in my 50s and 60s," he said.
His most serious convictions include a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two other young men enter a house in 2002. Both of the others were carrying guns, although Jelly Roll was unarmed. They demanded money, and received $350 and a wallet with no money in it. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were arrested right away. He was sentenced to serve a year in prison and additional time on probation. Later, in 2008, police on patrol found both marijuana and crack cocaine in his car. He was sentenced to eight years of court-ordered supervision.
He also has two misdemeanor offenses for driving without a license and possession of drug paraphernalia. The AP reports the board issued its nonbinding recommendation unanimously after a hearing that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes with several witnesses, including Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall, advocating for the 40-year-old musician named Jason DeFord. One board member recused themselves from voting. "This was incredible," he said of the board's decision. "I pray this goes through. But today was special for me, regardless."
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Lee, a Republican, said every case seeking clemency, such as pardons, is equally important and goes through a thorough process. "The reporting on Jelly Roll, that's encouraging for his situation, but there are steps yet to happen in that case," he told reporters Tuesday. Jelly Roll told the board that while in a detention center, he fell in love with songwriting. These days, he often visits jails and rehabilitation centers before performing concerts. He has bought restaurants out for the day to feed people who are homeless and played basketball with kids at a youth center the same day that he performed in Winnipeg. Lee has issued more than 90 pardons since taking office in 2019, all of them since 2021.
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