CD-01’s Roger Owen: A Felon?

It’s quite interesting that this came to my attention on the same day that the Open Letter to Roger Owen also went out, but it seems that Congressional Candidate Roger Owen is a convicted felon.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, Owen’s criminal history came to light back in 2003…when he tried to run for state representative in Florida.  And, Owen ran for office in Florida two other times: for state house in 1982 and state senate in 1984.

His run for office in ‘03 was stymied because he could neither vote nor run for office in Florida as a convicted felon.

Evidently, Owen was placed on the equivelant of Texas’ deferred adjudication probation for burglary, and went to prison after violating his parole, where he remained for seven months.
During Owen’s earlier runs for office:

His main platform was taking a jab at the Florida Bar Association, he said, because he believed there was little way for citizens to fight against lawyers’ corruption. He proposed creating an elected commission to review charges of unethical practice.

This, he says, didn’t help him out when it came to his criminal troubles:

Owen believes his unfavorable stance among the political elite worked against him when it came time for his sentencing. He is vague about details of his 1985 arrest, saying that the incident occurred at the home of a woman he loved and that he was, at worst, trespassing.

Prosecutors charged him with burglary, a felony for which adjudication was withheld. Later, Owen intentionally violated his probation, he said, preferring to finish his time quickly in prison rather than having probation officers breathing down his neck for longer. But Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show Owen was convicted twice for violating his probation in 1987, though they don’t explain what he did.

And…

FDLE records indicate a lengthier arrest history than Owen admits to. It lists at least four convictions dating back to 1971, including misdemeanor convictions on charges of contempt of court and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, as well as several other arrests in which adjudication was either withheld or the charge dismissed.

Friday evening, Owen said some of those arrests likely belonged to a troublesome relative who had used his name in the past. However, Owen said the records matched his personal information, including his birth date and Social Security number.

Whatever the case, Owen feels he has paid his dues. And he wants to make another run at a legislative seat.

And, there’s more:

He wants to take his cause to a national forum now. If a broader fight doesn’t change Florida’s mind, the former pool contractor and his wife, Nancy, might have to move away again, as he did for about a decade so he could regain his voting rights.

He last voted in the 1998 election as a resident of Texas, he said.

“When people say I’m an ex-convict, for over 10 or 12 years that bothered me,” he said during an interview last week. “Now, I say it’s short for conviction. And I do have a burning conviction right now as an American.

“I will vote in 2004,” he continued. “It may not be in Florida … but I won’t let Florida stop me.”

Indeed not. He’s now running for Congress in Texas.

I’ve confirmed this information, which was leaked to Capitol Annex, with two of my sources in the district. Both say Owen has admitted his troubled past to individuals in the Longview area.

Even if that weren’t the case, the similarities (age, pool builder, etc.) would be far too eerily similar to discount.

So, how can he run for federal office? Evidently, or so I am told, there is a federal provision that prohibits states from making laws regarding candidates for federal office. As such, it seems that the Texas laws against a convicted felon holding office wouldn’t apply to federal races.

Interesting.

Tweet This Post   Ping This Post

Bookmark It