How do I remove charges that were against me - which were dropped - from my record?

Question

I was not found innocent, although that is what I was. The charges were brought up against me 1st in 2003, then dismissed w/o prejudice.

Brought up against me again in 2004, dismissed again w/o prejudice.

Brought up against me AGAIN in 2007, so this time I hired a $15,000.00 lawyer all for it to FINALLY be dismissed WITH prejudice - so - it's finally over. (and I could have saved all that money).

But, when I went to look at www.criminalsearches.com at my record -

it is PAGES long and makes me look (in my opinion and prob. the opinion of any future prospective employers) very, very bad.

Like I said - I was innocent, but now I certainly don't look it.

Please, please help. What, if anything, can I do?

Answer 1

If you were charged, you were charged, tough cookie! What the employer will be looking at is CONVICTIONS! If you were charged with something 3 times, were they different instances though the same charge, or are you saying that they tried to convict you for the same thing 3 different times without luck? That sounds fishy to me!  

Answer 2

If you want to discuss this offline, write me.  Anything you say can be used against you in court, and that includes online comments and emails.  The area where you live could sue you for bringing it online, as you damage their reputation.  

About all you can do is explain what happened and hope s/he has an open mind and is understanding.  If not, you're basically blacklisted. :(

Hope things work out for you.

Answer 3

If it says convicted, you can get that changed.  if it just says charged, and that is accurate, there is nothing you can do about it.  An employer might think it makes you look bad, but all you can do is educate the employer and let him know you were never convicted.  A court in general has no authority to seal accurate records showing that you were charged and the charges were dismissed.

Answer 4

get a court date from a judge to have your record expunged  

Answer 5

Contrary to popular belief, your record will follow you everywhere and never go away. You were not found innocent, therefore the record is permanent. Dismissed "without prejudice" (if there is such a thing), simply means that it should not be used in future judgments against you. I doesn't mean that that everyone has forgotten about it. Even in the case of a "sealed" record, there are levels of security that will allow someone to see the offense and dispostion for the rest of your life.

Being that you went up for 3x on the same offense will make it worse, as your internet background checks have confirmed.

These days employers can sometimes care less whether you were even convicted. Depending on the level of work, a background questionaire can ask if you have ever been "arrested".