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The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles met May 23 and denied parole to one man while granting parole to another incarcerated for Butler County convictions.

Patrick Crenshaw, 38 was denied parole after serving seven years for 2017 convictions in Butler County. He is housed at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, serving a 20-year term for distributing a controlled substance alongside two 5-year convictions for attempted murder.

Crenshaw’s convictions resulted from Greenville shootings on Dec. 18, 2016 which left two men injured and one dead. The board voted to deny his parole request, with a May 2026 reset date.

Lajon Pier Pate, 32, was granted parole during the hearing. Housed in the North Alabama Community Work Center, Pate had served one year and nine months of a 15-year sentence which included 15 years for a Covington County drug offense conviction in August 2023 running concurrently with a five-year term for a Butler County conviction for possessing/receiving controlled substances and a 10-year sentence for distributing a controlled substance. Both incarcerations stemmed from 2018 convictions.

Family members appeared before the board to request Pate’s parole. His son, Roderick Berry and daughter Fredrick Clay petitioned for his release. Speaking against Pate’s parole was Nayla Contreras, victim services officer for the Alabama Attorney General’s office.

The board heard 26 parole requests, granting eight and denying 18. Three parole hearings were continued to a later date.

The board also held 10 pardon hearings, denying four and granting six.

Board minutes are available at www.paroles.alabama.gov/hearing-minutes/. Inmate information is available by visiting www.doc.alabama.gov/inmatesearch.