EDGAR PARDONS TEACHER WITH DRUG CONVICTION

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Dec. 23 (UPI) _ A high school teacher whose misdemeanor
conviction 23 years ago for marijuana possession caused him to lose his job
was given ``official forgiveness'' by Gov. Jim Edgar.

The governor today approved a pardon for Michael Maynard, 43, Crete, who
had been a teacher at Bloom High School in Chicago Heights until 1994, when
school officials discovered his 1974 conviction for possession of cannibis.

State laws enacted in 1993 to improve teacher certification and ensure that
criminals were not given access to children prevented the high school
district from continuing to employ Maynard.

But Edgar, in following an Illinois Prisoner Review Board recommendation,
noted Maynard served his oneyear probation, and has not been arrested
since then.

Edgar says, ``this case involves a person who made a mistake young in life
and paid his debt to society. Mr Maynard has been a lawabiding citizen for
more than 20 years since this offense.''

The general pardon granted by Edgar will allow Maynard him to reapply for a
teacher's certificate. The conviction itself, however, will remain on
Maynard's record.

Maynard was not available to comment on Edgar's action, which he had sought
for two years.

In a related matter, Edgar commuted the sentence of Diane Faye Hirtzig, 40,
Odell, who has been in prison for 5 years for trying to hire someone to
kill her husband.

Hirtzig was scheduled to be released from prison in December 1998, but
Edgar says she suffered abuse from her husband for more than 10 years.