A former Prince George’s County police officer has a little more to be grateful for this holiday season after receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump.
“I am overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. Joy, tears of joy, sometimes ugly tears, gratitude. Just so many things,” said Stephanie Mohr.
Her case goes back to 1995 when her police dog bit a burglary suspect on the calf.
It required ten stitches, but she says the suspect didn’t complain and her department didn’t have any issues with the case at the time.
“Much to my surprise, and my shock, five years later, one day before the statute of limitations was to expire, my training officer and I were both indicted,” said Mohr.
Her training officer was eventually acquitted, but after two trials, Mohr was sentenced to 10 years for federal civil rights violations, which she equates to a year for every stitch the suspect received. At the time, the police agency was under federal scrutiny.
Mohr felt she was the scapegoat, though she says her faith helped her get through.
“I always knew that in order for me to survive, wherever I was, whether I was home or whether I was in prison, that I had to put my anger and my bitterness aside, and there was no room for that in my life and to be strong for my son while I was away from him for so long,” said Mohr.
She said now that he’s an adult, he’s even working on becoming a police officer himself.
“It runs in the family, and it’s a profession that we hold very near and dear to us and like I said, couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Mohr.
Mohr says she lost so much over the years, but this pardon is a piece of closure for her family and for herself.
“It just allows me to be able to reclaim a little bit of my life, and it restores a little bit of my faith in justice,” she said.
As for what’s next, Mohr says she wants to enjoy a quiet holiday with her family.
She also thanked President Trump for the pardon.
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