Lawrence County Man Appears before State Board of Parole

A LAWRENCE COUNTY MAN WHO WAS SENTENCED TO SERVE 27 YEARS IN PRISON APPEARED BEFORE THE STATE BOARD OF PAROLE ON MONDAY. MEDIA SOURCES REPORT PAROLE WAS RECOMMENDED FOR JEFFREY WAYNE HUGHES BY HIS HEARING OFFICER. HUGHES, A FORMER COMMISSIONER, WHO HAD SERVED AS TREASURER FOR A NUMBER OF AREA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, PLEAD GUILTY IN OCTOBER OF 2016 TO STEALING OVER 265 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS. THE HEARING MAY BRING AN END TO A CASE THAT WAS FILED ON HIS BEHALF AGAINST THE PAROLE BOARD CLAIMING THE BOARD VIOLATED HIS RIGHTS UNDER THE REENTRY SUCCESS ACT OF 2021, WHICH MAKES PAROLE A RIGHT RATHER THAN A PRIVILEGE FOR MANY NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS. ACCORDING TO 22^ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY BRENT COOPER, HUGHES WAS ORGINALLY ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE AFTER SERVING 30 PERCENT OF HIS SENTENCE. HUGHES WOULD BE RELEASED AT 18.5 PERCENT.

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