You may be conducting research about criminal record sealing and expungement because you have a criminal record in Wyandot County, Ohio. If so, you likely are seeking answers to questions, such as: What is expungement/sealing? Why have criminal records expunged/sealed? Can the records for my case be expunged/sealed? What is the process to have criminal records expunged/sealed? Should I hire a lawyer to represent me? The answers to those questions are below. If you decide you do want to hire a lawyer to represent you, the Dominy Law Firm represents clients for criminal record expungement sealing in Wyandot County.
In Ohio, criminal record expungement and sealing have a similar effect but are different. The expungement of criminal records is the destruction/deletion/erasure of the records. The sealing of criminal records is changing the way the records are kept so they are no longer public records.
People choose to have criminal records expunged/sealed for various reasons. Some people are concerned about their reputation and simply want to end the stigma of a criminal record. Other people are hoping to avoid the impact of a criminal record on employment prospects. Others are concerned about professional licensing, loans, housing, volunteering, or security clearances. Whatever the reason, having a criminal record expunged sealed can remove the blemish of a public criminal record.
If you were charged with a criminal offense in the Upper Sandusky Municipal Court and you want to have the records expunged/sealed, you will need to file an application for expungement/sealing in that court. That court hears misdemeanor offenses (and felony offenses at the initial phases).
To have case records sealed, the offense(s) involved in the case must be eligible for sealing/expungement. Cases in the Municipal Court which are not eligible for sealing/expungement include Violating a Protection Order and Domestic Violence. In addition, the records for traffic convictions cannot be sealed/expunged. For a complete list of ineligible offenses, please see section 2953.32 of the Ohio Revised Code.
If you were charged with a criminal offense in the Wyandot County Common Pleas Court and you want to have the records expunged/sealed, you will need to file an application for expungement/sealing in that court. That court hears felony offenses (and some misdemeanor offenses).
To have case records sealed, the offense(s) involved in the case must be eligible for sealing/expungement. Cases in the Common Pleas Court which are not eligible for sealing/expungement include first-degree felonies, second-degree felonies, and felony offenses of violence. For a complete list of ineligible offenses, please see section 2953.32 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Just because a case is statutorily eligible for expungement/sealing does not mean the judge will automatically grant the application. Instead, the judge holds a hearing to decide whether the application will be granted.
At the hearing, the judge hears from both sides, as the prosecution may object to having the records expunged/sealed. The judge then conducts an evaluation as required by law and decides whether to grant or deny the application for expungement/sealing.
There are factors which may lead to the judge denying the application for expungement/sealing. It may improve the chance of having the application granted if you are represented by a lawyer, particularly if the lawyer has experience with this type of case.
The lawyers at the Dominy Law Firm have experience with this type of case. Our firm has been around for over 25 years, and we have represented many clients for record expungement/sealing. We practice only in the central Ohio area, including Wyandot County. If you would like to discuss representation, you can arrange a free phone consultation by submitting a CONTACT FORM or by calling 614-717-1177.