Colorado Gov. Jared Polis grants clemency for 24 people, including state trooper

Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has granted clemency for 24 people, including a Colorado State Patrol trooper who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for pointing a gun at a driver last year.

Jay Hemphill, the officer, had previously been awarded the state's Medal of Valor for his actions in preventing a gunman from confronting former Gov. Bill Ritter in 2007.

Hemphill had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of menacing in Denver County earlier this year and was awarded both a commutation and a pardon.

"Many people with criminal histories desire a second chance, and you have earned one," Polis wrote in a letter to Hemphill.

"You were a model trooper with an impeccable record. You made a mistake in a brief instant when you thought you were under threat, and no one was physically harmed. You properly reported the incident to your chain of command within the Colorado State Patrol."

Polis added that Hemphill's "mistake" should not define his career or detract from his "act of heroism" in protecting the former governor.

"I hope this commutation and pardon open doors to new opportunities for you," Polis wrote.

Polis also reduced the sentence for Michael Clifton, who was sentenced to 98 years in prison in 2000 after he was convicted of robbing a video store when he was a teenager.

Clifton's accomplice in the robbery, Rene Lima-Marin, previously received a pardon in 2017 to prevent him from being deported to Cuba. Polis said Clifton's commutation was granted in part because of the pardon of Lima-Marin.