Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday he will pardon his son of a 2003 felony drug conviction. The Democratic governor’s son, Kyle, who is now 34 years old, was charged more than a decade ago with possession of marijuana and intent to sell, for which he was fined and given three years probation, according to KATV. Gov. Mike Beebe, who is term-limited and will leave office in January, was the state Attorney General at the time of the arrest. “If he broke the law, he needs to pay for it. He needs to be treated like everybody else-no better, worse,” Beebe said at the time.

Kyle Beebe petitioned for the pardon and the Arkansas State Parole Board recommended his case to the Governor last month. Here’s more from KATV:

“I am asking for a second chance to be a better son to my parents and prove to them that I am the person they raised me to be,” Kyle Beebe wrote to his father [in the pardon request]…

“I would have done it a long time ago if he’d have asked, but he took his sweet time about asking. He was embarrassed. He’s still embarrassed, and frankly, I was embarrassed and his mother was embarrassed. All of the families that go through that, it’s tough on the families, but hopefully the kids learn,” [Gov. Mike] Beebe said… “Especially young people with drugs if they’ve straightened up, to get their life back on track and have a second chance, so this is no different. It’s different because it’s my son,” Beebe said.

“Along with Kyle Beebe, nine others with similar drug charges were recommended by the board for pardons from the governor,” KATV reports. “Beebe says he’s done more than 700 pardons, mostly of non-violent offenders.”