Thief convicted of 3rd strike may be freed

OLYMPIA, Wash., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board recommended release Thursday for a purse snatcher sentenced to life under the state's three strikes law.

Stevan Dozier's fate is now in the hands of Gov. Christine Gregoire, the Seattle Times reported. If he is granted clemency, Dozier would be the first person sentenced under the law to receive it.

Dozier received his life sentence for assaulting a 69-year-old woman in Seattle and stealing her purse on Feb. 1, 1994. He had been convicted of similar crimes in 1986 and 1988.

Among those testifying on his behalf at the hearing were the judge who sentenced him and Kings County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, who said that now purse snatching, even with physical assault, is not usually prosecuted now under the three-strikes law. John Carlson, a conservative talk radio host who helped write the 1993 law, said that Dozier is the first person he has encountered who deserves clemency.

Dozier himself testified by telephone from prison.

"I accept personal responsibility for my past," Dozier told the board. "I used to lack respect for other people and their belongings. I have changed."