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Ohio Gov. John Kasich reduced the charges against a mother who lied about her residency to send her children to school in another district, saying the punishment didn’t fit the crime.

Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted in January of two felony counts of tampering with records for using her parents’ address so she could send her daughters to Copley-Fairlawn City Schools without paying tuition. She lived in public housing in Akron at the time and said she didn’t want to leave her daughters home alone after school.

Williams-Bolar, a teacher’s aide, served nine days in jail after receiving a five-year suspended sentence. In her appeal for clemency, she claimed that the felony convictions would prevent her from obtaining a teacher’s license.

In a rare departure from a recommendation of the Ohio Parole Board, Kasich reduced her convictions to two misdemeanor counts of tampering with records, saying the punishment seemed excessive.

“No one should interpret this as a pass; it’s a second chance,” Kasich said in a statement. “The penalty could exclude her from certain economic opportunities for the rest of her life. So, today I’ve reduced those felony convictions to what I think are the more appropriate first-degree misdemeanors.”

Read more about the story at CNN.com

***UPDATE** 10:15 am, Kelley Williams-Bolar called in to the TJMS, during the last hour, to thank all of Tom’s listeners for their support during her case. We have the audio for you in case you missed it.