Merle Haggard was pardoned for the second time by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2009

He fought the law, and he won. (Dave Eisnel/FTWP)

In Sunday's Washington Post feature story about Kennedy Center honoree Merle Haggard, the country legend said that his 1972 pardon from then-California Governor Ronald Reagan was the greatest award he'd ever received.

Then he shared an interesting story.

“The second best award was [when] Arnold Schwarzenegger gave me a second pardon,” Haggard says, something he hasn’t spoken publicly about until now.

According to Haggard, in 2006, two hunters walked onto his California ranch, firing shots toward his house. His wife Theresa grabbed a gun and returned a warning blast into the air. The hunters fled, called the police and Theresa was arrested.

Despite Reagan’s pardon, Haggard’s criminal history didn’t allow him to own a gun. He wasn't arrested in the incident, but Gov. Schwarzenegger eventually granted him a second pardon in 2009 to allow him to own a firearm. He’s still fighting the charges against his wife.

The Governor's office told the Post that Haggard's story checks out and sent us a copy of the pardon. You can view it after the jump.