Stanislaus convict among 79 pardoned by governor

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown announced pardons for 79 individuals Monday, from convicted marijuana growers to drunk drivers, who served their sentences and committed no other crimes for at least a decade.

Most of the pardons announced — 61 — involved drug crimes, many of which carried no prison sentence. One of the pardons involved involuntary manslaughter, four grand theft, four robbery and three felony driving under the influence.

The pardons handed out by the governor on one of the slowest news days of the year include Jonathan Todd Moore, a Stanislaus County resident convicted of criminal transportation, importation or sale of marijuana in 1987.

Like others pardoned, Moore asked for the governor's consideration after obtaining court certification in 2004 that he has "lived an honest and upright life" since his release, according to the standard language of the gubernatorial declaration.

A pardon doesn't erase a criminal record, but it restores some of a convicted felon's rights, including, under certain conditions, their constitutional firearms rights. It also allows them to serve on a jury.

Two people from San Joaquin County were pardoned.