Expungement of Dismissed Charges

Record Expungement Of Dismissed Charges & Other Non-Convictions

The process for Expungement and Sealing of criminal records is not limited to criminal convictions. Many other types of criminal records related to minor misdemeanor, misdemeanor and felony charges can be expunged and sealed. If you have criminal records that reflect: charges filed; dismissed charges; not guilty findings; acquittals; no bills by grand jury; bail forfeitures; diversion program records, you may be eligible to have those records expunged and Sealed.

In this day and age of the internet when public records are readily available, any record of a criminal charge may create enough suspicion to prevent you from receiving that new job, promotion, professional license, considered for citizenship, or perhaps even being allowed to rent an apartment. Routine background checks are common practice today, whether it may be simply be related to investigating a babysitter, a credit score, or a security clearance. A criminal record, regardless of whether it is a conviction, or a dismissed case, may raise red flags for any employer. However, by having your criminal record sealed, if you are asked on applications if you have a criminal record, in most cases, you can honestly say that you do not. The purpose of the Ohio Expungement Statute is to give you a second chance:

Ohio Revised Code 2953.32 and 2953.52 provide for the hearing and related procedures related to expungements for criminal charges that do not result in a conviction. The court must consider several factors under the expungement statute when determining whether to grant an expungement of a dismissed charge. In addition, the court will consider any objections raised by the prosecutor while imposing a balancing test to weigh the interest of the applicant for expungement in having the records sealed against any legitimate need of the government to maintain those records.

There is no waiting period to file an expungement for dismissed criminal charges or an acquittal of criminal charges. However, there are waiting periods imposed under Ohio Expungement law for a No Bill or bail forfeiture. When a person is charged with two or more offenses as a result of the same act, and at least one of the charges has a final disposition that is different than the final disposition of other charges, that person may not apply for an expungement and sealing of his record in any of the cases until such time as he would be able to apply to the court and have all of the records in the cases pertaining to those charges expunged and sealed.

If you are tired of being haunted by a past criminal record, we can help clear your record and provide you a fresh start. Please contact us today for a free consultation to determine whether your are eligible for an expungement.