Ark. gov. to pardon Keith Richards' ticket (AP) Updated: 2006-07-20 08:51
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Keith Richards waits on a bus after arriving at the
Shanghai airport in this Thursday April 6, 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/Greg
Baker) | The state of Arkansas is prepared to
pardon Keith Richards for being a reckless driver, 31 years later.
The state Parole Board on July 3 approved an application for clemency
submitted on behalf of Richards, the 62-year-old guitarist for the Rolling
Stones, by Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The board posted the official notice Tuesday, and the pardon will be
forwarded to Huckabee within 30 days. When the governor signs it, it will clear
Richards' record in Arkansas.
Richards was arrested July 5, 1975, as he, bandmate Ron Wood, a security
guard and a fan traveled from Memphis, Tenn., to Dallas. The group had stopped
in Fordyce for lunch, then got back on the road with Richards driving.
A Fordyce officer saw the car swerve - Richards said later he bent to
adjust the radio - and stopped the vehicle. Police said they smelled marijuana and took
the four to City Hall.
Richards was charged with reckless driving and possession of a concealed
knife, and the fan was charged with possession of a controlled substance. The
knife charge was dropped, and Richards pleaded guilty to reckless driving and
paid a $162.50 fine.
Fran Curtis, a Stones publicist, said she knew nothing about the application
for clemency. Messages left for Richards' manager, Jane Rose, weren't returned.
Huckabee plays bass guitar in a band called Capitol Offense that performed
for the Republican National Convention in 2004 in New York City.
The governor said he got the idea for a pardon when he realized that
Richards' impression of Arkansas "was marred by a misdemeanor traffic stop."
During a Stones concert in Little Rock in March, Richards asked whether
anyone in the audience was from Fordyce, adding, "I used to know the chief of
police there."
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