Nixon pardons 12 more convicted of theft, drug crimes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is pardoning 12 more people.

Nixon on Friday announced the pardons to those convicted of theft and drug-related crimes, such as selling cocaine.

They've since found jobs or retired. One now mentors troubled youth, and another is active in his church.

The pardons come in Nixon's final stretch as governor before he leaves office in January. He was barred by term limits from seeking re-election.

During Nixon's nearly eight years as governor, he's granted 88 pardons and commuted the sentences of three incarcerated offenders.

Granting a pardon restores rights but doesn't expunge criminal records. Commutations shorten sentences.