Individual who had jail term shortened by Biden now accused of drug and gun offenses

A convicted criminal whose prison sentence was commuted by former President Joe Biden is back behind bars.

Willie Frank Peterson, 52, was found guilty of being involved in the illegal distribution of cocaine in 2023. As a result, he was given a jail term of six years and three months, which commenced on September 13, 2023, as documented in court records obtained by Fox News Digital.

Per a Jan. 17 executive grant of clemency, Biden commuted Peterson’s sentence to 20 months, allowing him to leave custody shortly after.

Recently, Peterson was apprehended in Dothan, Alabama, for various drug-related offenses. The Dothan Police Department officially accused Peterson of two charges of possessing controlled substances unlawfully and one charge of possessing marijuana.

Willie Frank Peterson is accused of possessing a controlled substance, plus marijuana, in addition to other charges. (Dothan Police Department)

On Jan. 17, he commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 inmates, primarily those convicted of non-violent drug offenses. 

President Biden highlighted the importance of the clemency action by emphasizing that it would bring relief to individuals who had received lengthy prison sentences due to outdated and disproven disparities between crack and powder cocaine, as well as obsolete sentencing enhancements for drug-related crimes.

“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.”

President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 15. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Dothan Police Department for more information. 

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.