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Parole board recommends clemency for blues musician Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - An Arkansas blues musician who was the first person charged under the state's "drug kingpin" law could be released from prison if Gov. Mike Beebe follows a recommendation by the state Parole Board. The board recommended Monday that Beebe grant executive clemency to Calvin Leavy, 66, who is serving a 75-year sentence for drug and bribery offenses. Leavy, best known for his 1970 hit "Cummins Prison Farm," was convicted in July 1992 under a 1989 law targeting crime rings. A Pulaski County jury found Leavy guilty of operating a continuing criminal enterprise, delivery of a controlled substance, use of a communication facility - a pager - in the commission of a felony and public servant bribery. Prosecutors said Leavy headed a Little Rock cocaine ring and paid a Little Rock police officer to page him in advance of police raids. The officer, Mark Ross, testified during Leavy's trial that on three occasions Leavy gave him $1,000, which he accepted in an undercover capacity. Leavy initially was sentenced to life plus 25 years in prison, but in May 2000 then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentenced to 75 years. Leavy's application for clemency indicates he believes his sentence was excessive. In answer to a question on his clemency application, "What is your reason for requesting executive clemency?" Leavy wrote simply, "I want to go home." In public performances prior to his incarceration, he often was billed as "Calvin Leavy, The Living Legend." In his biggest hit, Leavy told the story of a young man who was born in Missouri, crossed the line to Arkansas, got in trouble with the law and landed in the state's once-notorious prison unit, which formerly housed death row and in the late 1960s was found to have subjected prisoners to cruel and unusual punishment. Leavy actually was born in Scott, just outside Little Rock. The Cummins Unit was Leavy's first stop after his conviction and sentence in 1992. He served 10 months there before being transferred to other state prison facilities, prison spokeswoman Dina Tyler said Tuesday. He currently is serving his sentence at the Jefferson County Jail and Correctional Facility near Pine Bluff. The facility houses both Jefferson County and state prisoners and has an assisted living program for aging and infirm prisoners. The Parole Board's recommendation will go to Beebe's desk in 30 days. |
