Huckabee’s Willie Horton Moment

Uh, the former Arkansas governor and current Fox News host may have seen his 2012 presidential hopes go up in smoke today.

News: four Washington police officers were shot and killed in an ambush at a coffee shop.

Investigators identified a man with an extensive criminal past as a “person of interest” in the ambush on four police officers, who were shot to death Sunday morning at a coffee shop.

Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer told reporters that Maurice Clemmons, 37, was one of several people investigators want to talk to and that he could not be called a suspect at this point.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office said Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas, including aggravated robbery and theft. Clemmons also recently was arrested and charged in Pierce County in Washington state for third-degree assault on a police officer, and second-degree rape of a child.

The four officers were with the 100-member police department of Lakewood, which adjoins the unincorporated area of Parkland, where the shootings took place. The city identified the victims as Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards 42.

Troyer said one of those officers fought with the gunman and may have wounded him before the officer died just outside the doorway. He told reporters that investigators were asking area medical providers to report any people wounded by gunshots.

Troyer said investigators believe two of the officers were shot dead while sitting in the shop, and a third was killed after standing up. The fourth apparently struggled with the gunman out the doorway and “gave up a good fight,” getting off a few shots before he was either shot there or succumbed to earlier wounds.

“We believe there was a struggle, a commotion, a fight … that he fought the guy all the way out the door,” Troyer said.

The gunman was from Arkansas. Confederate Yankee connects the dots:

While governor of Arkansas, 2008 Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckebee paroled a violent repeat offender by that same name …

Here’s confirmation of that from a Garrick Feldman column in the Arkansas Leader which highlights the friction between prosecutors and Huckabee’s officer over the governor’s softness for felons:

Maurice Clemmons received a 35-year sentence in the early 1990s for armed robbery and theft. His sentence was commuted in May 2000, and he was let out three months later.

The following March, Clemmons committed two armed robberies and other crimes and was sentenced to 10 years. You’d think they’d keep him locked up after that, but no: He was paroled last March and is now wanted for aggravated robbery.

The Seattle Times confirms that it is the same convicted felon:

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

“This is the day I’ve been dreading for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas’ Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.

Clemmons’ criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

It should be noted that it isn’t only Huckabee that had a soft spot for Clemmons:

Clemmons had been in jail in Pierce County for the past several months on a pending charge of second-degree rape of a child. He was released from custody just six days ago, even though was staring at seven additional felony charges in Washington state.

Clemmons posted $15,000 with a Chehalis company called Jail Sucks Bail Bonds. The bondsman, in turn, put up $150,000, securing Clemmons’ release on the pending child-rape charge.

Whatever judge set bail that low for a careeer felon is an idiot and needs to be held accountable. Same with any prosecutor that was OK with that amount of bail. Child rape charges plus seven additional felonies and the guy gets low bail. Simply amazing.

Michelle Malkin has more here on Clemmons and has a flashback to another Huckabee Whiskey Tango Foxtrot decision, an earlier Willie Horton moment for Huckabee over Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist paroled by Huckabee who went on to rape and murder a Missouri woman. Byron York writes more about Dumond and the aftermath here.

Also, more coverage from The Other McCain.

For the record, Huckabee was never a favorite here. He always reminded me of Mr. Haney from Green Acres and was referred to as The Huckster. The Dumond case was just one of a number of troubling cases in which Huckabee appeared to be soft on crime, claiming his Christianity as a reason, namely that the paroled felons had found Jeeeeeeeeeesus and as such deserved a second chance. Or a third chance. Or a fourth chance. Or … well, you get the drift. That plus, he was an admitted Kool-Aid drinker on global warming and a Lifestyle Nazi when it came to smoking, food and beverages.

There are a lot of twists and turns before we get to the 2012 presidential race. We still have the 2010 midterms and no announced candidates for 2012. We have 24 months before the Iowa caucuses — or the Hawkeye Cauci, if you like — and that’s en eternity in politics.

Lots of fun ahead, but The Huckster may have killed his chances even before the race began. These type of commercials write themselves.

Update: Huckabee’s PAC has released a statement:

The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and in Washington State. The murder of any individual is a profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.

Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.

Nice work, Huck. Not one word of accepting responsibility for your role in this POS even being on the street. “it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas …”

Who was the governor of Arkansas who let Clemmons — and Dumond for that matter — out of prison? Look in the mirror.

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