Scott delays pardon decision for soldier

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott has delayed a decision on a pardon sought by a Florida soldier who was convicted of driving with a suspended license, saying he wants additional information about a later drunken driving arrest in Texas.

The father of Sgt. Shawndale Goston, currently serving in Afghanistan, asked the Board of Executive Clemency, chaired by Scott, for the pardon today. Charles Goston said his son's driver license was suspended because he failed to pay a ticket for driving with a cracked taillight.

Shawndale Goston needs the pardon because he wants to pursue a career in law enforcement after getting out of the Army, his father said. He has been recruited by the U.S. Secret Service and Marshals Service, Charles Goston said.

"If my son was good enough to protect his country and put his life on the line every day for this country, I'm hoping that … he will be given the opportunity to continue to serve this country in the capacity he wishes to serve," said Charles Goston, who is producer and host of the syndicated Black College Football Today radio program.

The governor's vote is required for any grant of clemency as well as those of two of the three Cabinet members who also serve on the board. Two other board members agreed to the pardon.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam noted that driving with a suspended license was only a misdemeanor and said it would be an opportunity for the board to let someone pursue a law enforcement career. Attorney General Pam Bondi also agreed, but Scott said he wanted more information about the DUI accusation last year near Fort Hood, Texas, where the younger Goston was then stationed.

His father said it happened a few days after his son returned from Iraq, when he went out with his platoon sergeant and other friends to relieve the stress of their deployment.

The platoon sergeant was drunker than his son and asked him to drive the car, his father said. A Vietnam veteran, he said soldiers often obey their superiors even when they shouldn't.

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater said he also had qualms about an assault and battery arrest when the younger Goston was a teenager. His father said his son had been provoked by someone who had used a racial slur and that the charge was dropped.

Meanwhile, Scott denied all except one of 28 other pardon requests today.

The board agreed in several cases to grant firearm authority to former felons or restore their civil rights but approved a pardon only for James Turner of Citrus County, who had served time for a cocaine conviction in Broward County.