Gov. Greg Abbott Issues 8 Pardons; Texas Board Withdraws Pardon Recommendation for George Floyd

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A Texas board has withdrawn a unanimous pardon recommendation for George Floyd over a 2004 drug arrest in Houston

The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles says it had identified “procedural errors” in how pardons were issued this year. The same board in October had unanimously recommended that Floyd be pardoned over his arrest by a Houston police officer whom prosecutors have since accused of falsifying his casework.

Floyd lived in Houston for much of his life before his death in 2020 in the custody of a white Minneapolis police officer. Allison Mathis, a public defender in Houston who submitted the pardon application on behalf of Floyd, called the last-minute withdraw a “ridiculous farce.”

Pardons and restoration of civil rights were issued for the following eight Texans recommended by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles according to the Governor’s office:

David Boyd Pool, 74, for theft in 1965 (Galveston County). Pool was sentenced to 2 years of probation.
Gary Lynn Dickey, 42, for burglary of a vehicle in 1997 (Washington County). Dickey was sentenced to 2 years of deferred adjudication probation.
Christina Marie Edgar, formerly Christina Marie Emmert, 52, for theft in 2013 (Dallas County). Edgar was sentenced to 3 years of probation and a $1,500 fine.
Subrina Sophus-Collins, formerly Subrina Maeca Sophus, 54, for unlawfully carrying a weapon on alcohol premises in 1994 (Harris County). Sophus-Collins was sentenced to 2 years of deferred adjudication probation and a $500 fine.
Olukayode David Koleosho, 46, for robbery in 1996 (Fort Bend County). Koleosho was sentenced to 3 years of deferred adjudication probation and a $300 fine.
David Anthony Mendes, 46, for theft in 1994 (Collin County). Mendes was sentenced to 3 years of deferred adjudication probation.
Joe Bob Wilcoxson, 76, for theft in 2013 (Ellis County). Wilcoxson was sentenced to 3 years of probation and a $2,500 fine.
Joseph Edward Braithwaite, 59, for evasion of income taxes in 1999 (United States District Court, Southern District of New York). Braithwaite was sentenced to a $150 assessment.