UPDATE: David was released from prison after receiving time off for good behavior. Thanks to everyone who sent letters of support.

David Miles was a hard-working, fairly conservative husband and father living in Lacey, Washington and operating a painting business with his wife Michele. In January 1998, David was approached by an acquaintance who claimed to be a cancer patient and wanted to know if David could help him get marijuana to offset the side effects of chemotherapy. This "cancer patient" was really a paid informant for the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force.

Wired for sound, the informant persuaded David -- normally just a recreational user -- to sell him marijuana on three occasions, totalling a whopping 1/2 pound. On February 19, 1998, 15 unmarked Task Force vehicles and a swat team in full riot gear descended upon the Miles home, arresting David and Michele, while their two daughters, 14-year-old Rachel and 10-year-old Caitlin, were away at school.

The Task Force froze the Miles' personal and business accounts and their vehicles. They placed a lien on their home and started the forfeiture process, saying the Mile's lifestyle was financed through drug proceeds. Michele eventually spent $9,000 on a professional audit of their finances, which proved that everything they owned was bought with money legally earned through their painting business.

When the police raided the Miles home, they found Michele's guns, a .25, .45, .22 and a 12 guage shot gun. Michele had a weapons permit she'd obtained through the State after she and David were married. David has a felony conviction from 1980 -- when he was 19 years old. Although ignorance may not be bliss, David and Michele believed it was okay for them to have guns in their home, since David had been released from probation years before. They were wrong. David was charged with "constructive possession." The guns were fingerprinted and found to be negative of any prints. They were also very dusty, showing that nobody had touched them in a very long time.

In November 1998, the Miles' were granted a Franks Hearing. At this time, the prosecutor, David Soukeep, decided it was time to deal. On December 7, he met with David's attorney, G. Saxon Rogers, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force. David and Michele were not present. The deal consisted of David pleading guilty to one controlled buy, a Class B Felony, and being sentenced to 40 months. The Miles' would also sign away rights to their home. In exchange, they would drop all charges against Michele and the weapons charges against David.

It came down to this: The Thurston County Narcotics Task Force wanted the Miles house, and to get it, somebody had to go to jail. David's attorney said they could go to trial, but it would be a crap shoot with no guarantees. The Miles' had already spent $60,000 on the case, and they were looking at another $100,000 at the least. If they lost at trial, Rachel and Caitlin would lose both parents and would become wards of the State of Washington.

When faced with the possibility of orphaning their children and losing the rest of their savings, David and Michele took the deal. David plead guilty. The Task Force took their home and David started his 40 months. He's been incarcerated for almost a year.

This is where you come in.

Michele spent months painstakingly preparing a pardon for her husband. The first time she presented the pardon it was refused. Since that time, she has been relentlessly pursuing every avenue and Governor Locke's office has agreed to submit it to the Clemency and Pardons Board Review Committee on her behalf.

The more letters, faxes, phone calls and emails received by the Governor and Michele's Senators and Representatives, the better the chances of David getting paroled. Without any support, it will be very hard to get results.

So please take the time to contact Governor Locke. We have made it even easier for you by creating an online letter form. Send this URL to your friends and associates, and help free David Miles!