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Parole board delays revocation for Leonard Scott pending interstate-compact approval; orders extradition-cost condition
Summary
The Committee on Parole decided Feb. 11 not to revoke Leonard Scott’s supervision provided Ohio agrees to accept him under the interstate compact. The board set conditions including that Scott remain in custody until the compact is approved and that he pay extradition costs if released.
The Committee on Parole voted Feb. 11 not to revoke the supervision of Leonard Scott, but made release contingent on Ohio accepting transfer under the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision.
At a remote hearing from Baton Rouge for Beauregard Parish, the board reviewed multiple alleged supervision violations and heard Scott describe circumstances after his release from long-term incarceration, including homelessness and lack of means to report. Scott said he had been recently discharged from an Ohio system and had been homeless after return; he also told the panel he has several health conditions and was applying for Social Security disability benefits.
Scott told the panel he did not know he was required to report to Louisiana probation and parole upon release after spending 37 additional years incarcerated following an extradition. He said he was living in a halfway house in Toledo, Ohio, upon discharge and had no reliable means to report in Louisiana. Scott repeatedly told the board he believed he was on unsupervised probation and said he lacked immediate local family support in Louisiana.
After questioning, board member Steve Prater said his vote was not to revoke Scott’s parole provided the interstate compact paperwork was completed and Ohio agreed to accept the case. Prater explained that probation officers would verify the Ohio address submitted by Scott’s fiancée and that Ohio would inspect and accept the residence before the Louisiana release became effective. Prater and other board members noted Scott’s age and medical conditions during deliberations.
The board also ordered that, if released to Ohio, Scott would be required to pay the cost of extradition to return him to Louisiana should that later be necessary; the amount and payment schedule were to be arranged with his supervising probation officer. The panel emphasized Scott must promptly complete the interstate-compact paperwork and cautioned against delays that could result in a return warrant if timelines were not met.
The panel’s decision preserves Scott’s supervised status rather than revoking it, subject to completion of the interstate-compact transfer and the administrative conditions the board specified.
