Hot on the tail of the Open Letter to Roger Owen, Vince Leibowitz of Capitol Annex received an anonymous tip that Owen is a convicted felon in the State of Flordia.  Leibowitz quickly did his homework and came up with this article from the St. Petersburg Times, listing Owen’s offenses.

It turns out that Owen made failed runs for office in Florida in 1982 and 1984.  In 2003, Owen tried again, only to find out that he could not run due to a felony conviction for burglary.  The newspaper spells it all out:

Florida remains among the seven states in the nation where ex-felons are denied the right to vote even though their sentence is served. And in the 1980s, Owen spent seven months in a Florida prison for violating probation that stemmed from a burglary charge.

Ironically, when Owen ran in 1982 and ‘84, 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.”

The one to make you laugh all the way home?  “[Owen] proposed creating an elected commission to review charges of unethical practice.”  Then again, at the time, Owen had yet to commit his crimes.

His crimes?  Burglary, probation violations:

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. (Emphasis, mine)

Oh, but it doesn’t end, there, folks.  It gets better.  Not only did he violate probation, once, 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. (Emphasis, mine)

Amazingly, it doesn’t end, there.  It goes all the way back to 1971:

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. (all emphasis, mine)

The hard-hitting, anti-corruption politico was convicted at least four times, dating back to 1971.  First for contempt of court - a relatively minor infraction.  Secondly, however, he was convicted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Amazingly, Owen attempts to deny it:

…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. (emphasis, mine)

This amuses the hell out of me.  Not because Owen “feels he has paid his dues.”  After all, he actually has.  It amuses me because the man fighting on an anti-corruption ticket went to jail for probation violation, and has charges against him, from the past, of contempt of court, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor - of all things.  Honestly, I’m not so sure I want someone like that representing me.

Some of you may be wondering how this has bearing on Texas.  Simple, Owen is making a bid for Texas-1, in November.  Now, I’m not going to let a man’s past dictate his future.  However, in combining his recent rhetoric and actions, with his past (which certainly plays a role in alluding to character), I’m not too thrilled with Owen.

Whether or not I support Owen will be a fairly tough decision.  At this point, I’m most definately at a “wait and see” attitude.

Your thoughts?