State Senator Whitney Westerfield has apologized for advocating to former Governor Matt Bevin on behalf of convicted sex offender Dayton Jones as he sought relief from his sentence from Bevin.
Westerfield issued a statement Wednesday saying in part, “The decision to send a message on his family’s behalf asking for consideration of a commutation was, in hindsight, ill informed, and for that I am deeply sorry. While most are not of such magnitude, in future constituent requests for pardon relief I will be more judicious, and above all, I will make every effort to get the victim’s input.”
He continues, “My greatest regret is that neither the victim in this case, nor any of the many others, were consulted by the Governor or his team prior to granting this extraordinary relief. I should have taken that step myself, and I did not.”
Jones was one of four suspects who pled guilty for their roles in the November, 2014 sexual assault of an unconscious 15-year old male at a party on Lafayette Road. The assault was recorded on a smartphone and distributed on Snap Chat.
