Gov. John Kasich used his executive clemency authority Wednesday to reduce the criminal convictions of Kelley Williams-Bolar from felonies to first-degree misdemeanors.The decision, released in a statement by the governor’s spokesman in Columbus shortly before noon, quoted Kasich as saying that when he first heard about the Williams-Bolar story in January, “it seemed to me that the penalty was excessive for the offense.”In a Summit County trial that drew worldwide attention, jurors in January convicted Williams-Bolar, 41, of two counts of tampering with records for falsifying information in order to send her two children to Copley-Fairlawn schools instead of their home district, Akron Public Schools.She spent nine days in the Summit County Jail and was sentenced to two years of probation and 80 hours of community service.Under Ohio law, her job as a Buchtel High teaching assistant would have been in jeopardy if her convictions, third-degree felonies, had been allowed to stand.Kasich referred to that possibility in his clemency announcement, saying “the penalty could exclude her from certain economic opportunities for the rest of her life.” “So, today I’ve reduced those felony convictions to what I think are the more appropriate first-degree misdemeanors,” Kasich said.“No one should interpret this as a pass. It’s a second chance.” Williams-Bolar did not return Beacon Journal phone messages for comment.Mother still teachingHer attorney, David A. Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center in Cincinnati, said
 Williams-Bolar still works as a Buchtel teaching assistant.When Singleton gave her the news of the governor’s decision, he said, she was overjoyed. “She was screaming: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,’ and she’s so grateful to the governor. We can’t appreciate enough what Governor Kasich has done here,” Singleton said.He said Williams-Bolar had maintained all along “that the punishment did not fit the crime.” “While we wanted Kelley to be fully pardoned, she is overjoyed that she is no longer branded a felon for what she did,” Singleton said. Williams-Bolar “was just trying to keep her daughters safe,” he said. “And that’s ultimately what moved Governor Kasich to do what he did.“I think the governor understood that sometimes parents do what they need to do to protect their kids.” The governor’s announcement came five days after the eight-member Ohio Parole Board sent a unanimous recommendation to his office rejecting a pardon for Williams-Bolar.In an often tersely worded, 16-page report, the board said Williams-Bolar was “faced with a no more difficult situation than any other working parent who must ensure that their children are safe during, before and after school hours in their absence.”The report also said: “Most parents find legitimate and legal options to address this issue. Ms. Williams-Bolar’s only response was to be deceitful.”Testimony at her January trial showed she used her father’s address in the Copley-Fairlawn district during the enrollment process, while she was living much of the time in a three-bedroom subsidized home on the west side of Akron.Williams-Bolar testified about her case for more than two hours in a July 20 hearing before the Parole Board in Columbus. She admitted she deceived Copley-Fairlawn school officials when she enrolled her two girls there in August 2006.At other times, however, she insisted she never intentionally deceived anybody.“The whole thing, I was just trying to keep my kids safe. That was my objective,” she told the board.“I love my kids. I love my kids,” she said, breaking down and crying at one point. “I did things wrong, but I loved my kids. I would have done anything for my children.”Prosecutor respondsSummit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh responded to the governor’s decision with a statement issued by her chief spokesperson, April Wiesner.The statement first addressed the Jan. 15 jury decision in the Williams-Bolar case.“I greatly appreciate the time and care the jury took when considering this case,” Walsh said. “After hearing all of the evidence, the jury upheld the laws set forth by the Ohio legislature that state that tampering with government documents is a felony offense.”The statement also said Walsh was pleased that the Parole Board “carefully considered all of the facts on this case, including information that was discovered between the conclusion of Ms. Williams-Bolar’s trial and her clemency hearing.”In conclusion, Walsh said Kasich “is not required to uphold a jury’s verdict, nor must he follow the Parole Board’s recommendation to reject clemency, even when that recommendation is unanimous.”Walsh declined to be interviewed.Kasich’s decision specified that Williams-Bolar’s sentence also was reduced to not more than 180 days in jail — the maximum penalty for a first-degree misdemeanor.The decision retained all of the court-imposed sentencing provisions, requiring
Williams-Bolar to refrain from offensive conduct and obey all laws; complete a mentorship through the NAACP or her church; submit to random and frequent urinalysis; pay the costs of prosecution as directed by the Adult Probation Department; and write the court a letter upon completion.Singleton said Williams-
Bolar already has fulfilled her community service requirements and intends to comply with the remaining court orders.Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.