Expungements Legal Questions

There is a process, depending on the charge, to vacate the charge. In the court that convicted/sentenced you, you can petition to have the charge vacated and sealed. Expungement is a different situation, and may be appropriate depending on the circumstances. What you are describing, most likely, would be a vacate/seal. You can get the forms off of the state courts website, and follow the instructions, or if you want to ease the process, you can hire an attorney to process the vacation for you.... Read More

Depending on what criminal charge/case you are wanting to remove from your criminal record, you may not need to go through the pardon process.  Maryland law allows for many misdemeanors and several felonies to be expunged from someone's criminal record.  There are a list of criminal charges that are eligible for expungement, however several factors need to be considered when determining if a case can be expunged.  Here are examples: What is the crime that was charged?  What was the outcome of the case? Guilty, Not Guilty, Case dismissed, Probation Before Judgment (PBJ), etc?  When was the case closed?  Were you placed on probation and if so, when did the probation end?  Have you been charged with a crime since this case?... Read More

An expungement affects all records in the possession of the prosecutor, the court, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the county jail, the probation office, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education, and all law enforcement agencies that were involved in the matter.  An expungement would prevent members of the public from learning about the original criminal charges, arrest, or conviction.   Please contact me if you would like to go forward with the expungement process. Todd Peterson 320-259-5123... Read More

If the record was discovered in a background check by the apartments a short time period after the order of nondisclosure was granted, it can take time for the record to be removed from criminal history databases. Typically, 2-3 months. Or, it is possible it was not done correctly and will need fo be refiled.  If that is the case, I suggest you hire an attorney to assist you the next time.      ... Read More