background checks

[rtsigrest]

georgia
i was arrested for drunk driving in feb. i was also charged with misdemenor poss. of marijuana and felony poss. of white residue, tested positive for cocaine. my court date keeps getting moved. my lawyer told me to mark no on job applications for felony convictions. i got my driver's liscence back, and a probation agreement is in the works, first offenses. my question is will this show up on background checks for jobs?

 

[Krystie166]

Convicted and charged are 2 different things. You can be convicted of a crime which is not a felony, but you can be charged with one that will show up on records. I think, but am not 100%, that convictions do not show up after a few years.

 

[JETX]

Convicted and charged ARE two different things, but not when it comes to background investigations. Both can show up (depending on how good the investigator is and whether he reveiews charges also).

As for any job applications, at this point, as long as you have not been convicted, you can mark 'no convictions'. However, as soon as you are convicted (a plea agreement, nolo contendre, no contest, etc. are ALL convictions), you can be 'caught' for lying on the application if you say 'no convictions'.

At some point in the long future (shorter for 'charges dropped'), you might consider filing a "Motion for Expungement" and ask the courts to clear your record. This is something you probably shouldn't even consider for 10 years or so of a clean record and will require an attorney.