JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says, "People called in that helped him here or there and say I've got a buddy that needs to be pardoned and he just signed them."
When it comes to signing off on nearly 200 pardons, Attorney General Jim Hood says former Governor Haley Barbour knew he was violating the state constitution, which requires a 30 day notice to be published in a newspaper for anyone seeking a pardon.
Hood says he's already finding cases where that didn't happen.
Hood says, "He knew that there was a duty for that to be published. He knew that was in the law. I've already learned from his attorney's that he knew that, yet he just completely ignored it."
With an injunction now preventing the release of 21 inmates, the search is on for others. Five men were released earlier this week, before the injunction stopped the process. They were all trusties at the governor's mansion, four of them convicted murderers and Hood says their pardons aren't legal.
With the injunction in place those men who are free are required to report their whereabouts, but they do not have to do so until they're served will legal papers telling them to.
Hood says, "There's going to be a national search. We're going to catch them, it's just a matter of time,".
As the hunt continues to put pardoned criminals back in jail, victims now wait on the sideline in fear.
"How is the state of Mississippi better off, how is the country better off? Because all these guys aren't staying in Mississippi. They're going to be all over the United States," said victim Randy Walker.
The attorney general's office must still go through about 175 other cases to see if the constitutional requirement was met for a pardon and at this point, hood believes there will be plenty of pardons voided and a possible overhaul of pardon powers through the legislature.
Hood says, "This is just such a unique problem no law has ever had to address it and so we're having to make new law hear."
Copyright 2012 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Also on the web:
http://www.wlbt.com/story/16519327/former-governor-defends-controversial-pardons
http://www.wlbt.com/story/16509238/guest-gatlins-pardon-may-not-stand
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
