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Inmate given clemency by Trump had backing of former judge who sentenced him to life
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A federal judge who sentenced a Clarksville, Tennessee, man to life in prison in a drug trafficking case greeted him in person after then-President Donald Trump commuted the sentence in January.
In an airport meeting, U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp of the Middle District of Tennessee hugged and posed for pictures with 32-year-old Chris Young, whom he had sentenced in 2014 under a mandatory sentence law.
After stepping down from the bench in 2017, Sharp denounced mandatory minimum sentences in an interview with the Tennessean and pointed to one case that particularly troubled him that of Young. Sharp was required to sentence Young to life in prison under a federal three-strikes law because Young had two prior drug dealing convictions.
Chris Young reunites with former judge, advocate
Chris Young from Clarksville was granted a presidential pardon this week. And tonight he reunited with former federal judge Kevin Sharp, who sentenced Young to life in prison, later became one of his biggest allies and his attorney.
and last updated 2021-01-21 23:59:58-05
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) â Chris Young, a Clarksville man who received a presidential pardon, returned home for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison eight years ago. The first person he hugged when he arrived in Nashville was the former judge who sentenced him.
Young and former Judge Kevin Sharp shared a special moment Thursday night when they reunited at the airport. Sharp sentenced Young to life behind bars following his third drug-related conviction. Young s previous two convictions were when he was 18 and 19-years-old.