Police Hopeful Seeking Pardon After Legally Owned Gun Tarnishes His Record

by | Feb 5, 2015 | Culture, News | 0 comments

24-year-old Steffon Josey-Davis was an armored guard in New Jersey with hopes of becoming a police officer.

Those hopes have been put on hold, possibly indefinitely, after an attempt to protect his sister turned into a legal issue.

Josey-Davis had plans of going to the gun range with his friends, when his 6-year-old sister surprised him in the car. To protect his sister, he put his legally owned gun in his car’s glove compartment.

Steffon-Josey-DavisLater that day, Josey-Davis was pulled over during a routine traffic stop, and alerted the officers that there was a weapon in the car. However, in New Jersey, a loaded weapon must be carried in a locked trunk, not a glove compartment. He was charged with weapons possession, which is a second-degree felony.

Josey-Davis faced ten years in prison, but took a plea deal of one year probation. However, with that plea comes the label of convicted felon, which prevents him from most jobs, but especially the one he wanted for so long: a police officer. He’s asking Govenor Christie for a pardon for this non-violent crime, so that he may continue to pursue his goals.

Josey-Davis faced ten years in prison, but took a plea deal of one year probation. However, with that plea comes the label of convicted felon, which prevents him from most jobs, but especially the one he wanted for so long: a police officer. He’s asking Govenor Christie for a pardon for this non-violent crime, so that he may continue to pursue his goals.

The young man has started a Change.org petition that has over 60,000 supporters to date. There was a memorandum created by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office that created a loophole for cases like Shaneen Allen, who was carrying a legal handgun in her purse when she was pulled over, but this loophole does not protect Josey-Davis in his situation.

Do you think Governor Christie should pardon Steffon?

Keep up to date with everything going on in the Urban Intellectuals Universe.

Black History is World History — and we need you with us! Sign up for empowering stories, exclusive updates, and first access to everything Urban Intellectuals.

Fill in your details below to get started!

Blog post opt-in form 2 (#8) - Bottom of Posts (Active)

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories