On November 10, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers pardoned convicted hot tub thief Cheryl Blazekovic.
It's a rare and dramatic act when a state governor issues a pardon. Often those seeking clemency are marching to the gallows or the electric chair only to be saved at the last minute by the stroke of a governor's pen.
So it was with somewhat less melodrama that Cheryl Blazekovic of Milwaukee, having been convicted not of murder or even horse-thieving, but of stealing a hot tub, was pardoned by the governor of Wisconsin on November 10.
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Pardons are uncommon in any state, and it's not entirely clear why Governor Tony Evers decided to go easy on the offender is this case. Over the 8-year term of his predecessor, no pardons of any kind were issued. Perhaps it was just a good day and Evers was swept up by a feeling of goodwill, as we all are from time to time. He pardoned another four women and three men in the same burst of mercy and lenience that November morning, all of them guilty of non-violent offenses.
The pardon does not clear the conviction from her record, but it is an official grant of forgiveness that restores certain rights, such as the ability to own a gun and hold public office.
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There's no question Blazekovic had done her best to atone for the crime and repay her debt to society. After her conviction, Blazekovic completed probation and paid restitution in full. She has been working as a paralegal for multiple law firms and the Medical College of Wisconsin. The pardon will help her get a notary license, which her current and past employers said was necessary for her work.
