Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for Florida governor, citing the congressman’s commitment to public safety and law enforcement in a statement released by Donalds’ campaign.
Donalds own youthful indiscretions, which include an arrest at 18 for marijuana distribution and a felony theft conviction at age 20.
“When I made my mistakes, there was no leniency for youthful offenders,” Donalds, said in an interview.
Donalds’ criminal record suggests he received more leniency than he’s letting on.
After his marijuana arrest in 1997, a Florida court granted Donalds a “pre-trial diversion,” which offered some offenders alternatives to jail. Law enforcement arrested Donalds on a charge of distributing weed, not just possessing it, although Donalds maintains he wasn’t distributing.
For his drug charge, the court ultimately fined Donalds $150 and did not incarcerate him.
“Pre-trial diversion? Let’s be very clear — the issues in Washington, D.C., is not a 20-year-old with a dime bag of marijuana,” Donalds told NOTUS.
In 2000, Donalds pleaded no contest to a felony larceny charge. He was sentenced to two years of probation.
God forbid.