Mark Wahlberg petitioned Massachusetts authorities to wipe clean an assault conviction he’s carried since 1988, when he blinded a man in an eye during a street attack in front of a convenience store.
The now-Hollywood bigwig, 43, said he was then a misguided teen of 16 but has since grown and matured, NBC Washington reported.
He filed his request with the state’s Board of Pardons, hoping authorities will clear his criminal record.
“I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims,” Mr. Wahlberg said, NBC Washington reported. “Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others.”
Mr. Wahlberg said in his application that he was trying to steal a couple cases of alcohol from a man walking in front of a convenience store on Dorchester Avenue, and hit him in the head with a stick. He then said he punched another man in the face while fleeing police, NBC Washington reported.
“I was detained by police … [and] while I was detained, the police discovered that I had a small amount of marijuana in my back pocket,” Mr. Wahlberg wrote in his application. “During the incident. I was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.”
He was 16 but tried as an adult, and convicted of assault. He served 45 days in prison. The Daily Mail reported that one of the men Mr. Wahlberg attacked was blinded in one of his eyes.
In his application letter, Mr. Wahlberg said he’s since worked for several charities and built up the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
“The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988,” Mr. Wahlberg wrote, NBC Washington reported. “It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works.”
It could take months before Mr. Wahlberg gets a decision from the Board of Pardons. The board then makes a recommendation to the governor — who by that time will be Charlie Baker.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/EXCLUSIVE-Mark-Wahlberg-Seeks-Pardon-in-1988-Assault-Case-284795961.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DCBrand
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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