Gov. Roy L. Schneider, in one of his final official acts, has pardoned five convicted criminals, including Ruthlyn White, the wife of his No. 1 legislative ally.
Other media had previously reported Schneider's pardon of Franke Hoheb, convicted 14 years ago of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, but the Daily News on Saturday reported that Schneider also pardoned White, former policeman David Husbands, Jacqueline Simmonds Richards and Jackie Monsanto Swan.
Scheider came into office criticizing his predecessor, Gov. Alexander A. Farrelly, for the 11th-hour pardons of 12 criminals, including five murderers.
Schneider's pardons were for less serious crimes.
White, the wife of Sen. Celestino A. White Sr., was convicted in 1992 of assaulting a police officer. Her arrest caused a storm of controversy when Raymond Hyndman, then chief of police, ordered an underling to erase the blotter entry on the incident.
Farrelly reprimanded Hyndman. Schneider later named him deputy police commissioner, a position he held until he retired last year.
Hoheb, 46, is a former deputy Housing commissioner whose company managed the temporary housing complex in Nazareth. He said he realized he had made a serious error in judgment, but petitioned Schneider to pardon him because he did not want a long-ago mistake to preclude him from running for office or holding a Cabinet position in a future administration.
Husbands' conviction involved a fight while he was off-duty. The Daily News had no information on Richards' or Swan's convictions.
