Politics & Government
Bowie Man's 27-Year Prison Sentence Commuted By President
The non-violent drug offender was convicted of selling cocaine in the District of Columbia. He will be freed in July.
BOWIE, MD — A Bowie man sentenced to 27 years in prison for selling cocaine will be freed this summer after President Obama commuted his sentence.
On Wednesday, the president granted commutations of sentence to 61 non-violent drug offenders in prison, including Byron Lamont McDade of Bowie.
Find out what's happening in Bowiefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"It does not make sense for a non-violent drug offender to be getting 20 years, 30 years, in some cases life in prison. That’s not serving anybody," Obama said recently, Reuters reports.
McDade was convicted in the District of Columbia for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, aiding and abetting, according to a White House news release. He was sentenced in 2002 to 27 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
Find out what's happening in Bowiefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The president commuted his prison sentence to end on July 28, 2016.
Obama has commuted the sentences of 248 people during his time in office, more than the previous six presidents combined, according to the White House.
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