FORMER CANINE OFFICER BACKED BY
NATIONAL POLICE DEFENSE ORGANIZATION
RECEIVES A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON

Alexandria, VA (Dec. 23, 2020) – A 13-year battle by the Law Enforcement Legal
Defense Fund (LELDF) has ended successfully in a presidential pardon for former
Prince George’s County (MD) Police canine officer Stephanie Mohr. Mohr was
convicted in 2001 of a federal Civil Rights violation and sentenced to 10 years in prison
after her police dog bit an escaping burglar in 1995.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund for standing by my
side and never abandoning me,” Mohr said after receiving word of the pardon. “Without
LELDF and its donors and loyal supporters, I honestly don’t think this pardon would
have happened.”
** Stephanie Mohr and LELDF President Jason Johnson are available TONIGHT or
TOMORROW to discuss the presidential pardon via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime.
Contact Julie Parker or Ray Feldmann at the information listed above to
coordinate an interview **
LELDF President Johnson said he is especially grateful to President Trump and the
White House for granting a pardon during this Christmas season. Mohr missed 10
holiday seasons with her only son Adam while she was incarcerated.
“This has been a long, hard slog for Stephanie Mohr, who served her complete
sentence of 10 years – one year for each of the 10 stitches it took to heal the wounds
on an escaping burglar’s leg,” said Johnson, a former police officer and Deputy
Commissioner.
“Stephanie lost a decade of her life, she lost her career, she missed her infant son’s
formative years – all for doing her job, exactly as she was trained,” Johnson added.
“LELDF is proud to have stood by Stephanie Mohr through appeals, post-conviction
motions and, now, her successful application to President Donald Trump.”
After a series of newspaper articles about alleged brutality by the Prince George’s
County Police Department, federal prosecutors indicted Mohr one day before the
Statute of Limitations was set to expire on a five-year-old incident during which an
undocumented immigrant was caught on the roof of a commercial printing business.
Once on the ground, the burglar made a sudden motion as if to escape, and Mohr – on
the instructions of her training officer – released her dog, which bit the suspect on his
leg, requiring 10 stitches.
Other law enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, National
Association of Police Organizations and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers
Association joined LELDF in recent weeks in calling for Mohr to be pardoned.
“Our organization will always stand behind law enforcement officers who are wrongly
prosecuted, like Officer Mohr was,” Johnson pledged. “We are especially grateful to our
loyal supporters who shared Stephanie’s story on social media and signed our petition,
which now has more than 30,000 signatures.”
Mohr said that despite her conviction and incarceration, she and her son remain strong
supporters of law enforcement and the police profession.
“Despite this ordeal, Adam intends to pursue a career in law enforcement,” Mohr said.
“After all he’s been through and lost because of what happened to me, I couldn’t be
prouder of him.”
###
LELDF is a 501(C)(3) organization founded in 1995 in Alexandria, Virginia whose
mission is both benevolent and educational. The organization supports and defends the
law enforcement profession and those law enforcement officers who have devoted their
lives to upholding the Constitution and serving the United States and its citizens while
enforcing its laws. It also educates the public about the many risks and threats to law
enforcement personnel in order to build a more informed, respectful, and appreciative
society. For more information about our organization and mission, please visit our
website: https://www.policedefense.org