Haitian man pardoned by governor; could seek return to Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has pardoned a man her predecessor declined to help after being deported to Haiti.

A spokeswoman tells the Morning Sentinel the governor requested a clemency board review after the case of Lexius Saint Martin, of Waterville, was called to her attention. The 36-year-old Saint Martin was granted a pardon on Aug. 29.

With the pardon, he could petition to return from Haiti, where he was sent in February 2018. He was deported because of a drug conviction 10 years earlier.

Federal officials said he should’ve been deported sooner, but the Haiti earthquake left his deportation in limbo. During that time, he fell in love with a Maine woman. They married and had three children.

Then-Republican Gov. Paul LePage declined to issue a pardon in November 2018. The clemency board’s recommendation was not made public.

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This story has been corrected to show that Martin was deported to Haiti in February 2018, not February 2009.