Lake County Criminal Record Expungment Lawyer

If you’ve been arrested or charged with a crime in Lake County a record will automatically be generated and maintained by the government. That record is viewable by the public. This is true even if the charges are against you were dropped or diverted. These records are maintained by various government agencies including The Lake County sheriff’s department, the arresting agency (Clermont PD, Eustis PD, Groveland PD, Lady Lake PD, Leesburg PD, Mount Dora PD and Tavares PD……), The Lake County State Attorney’s office and The Lake County Clerk of Court. Those records of your past can be easily viewed by potential employers, neighbors or the general public. This is not helpful especially after getting the charges against you dropped or diverted.

Whether you are applying for a job, trying to get a loan, or looking for an apartment, your criminal history will always draw unwanted attention even if you were wrongfully accused. It is frustrating when the charges go away but the records still hurt you in the public eye. As Criminal defense attorneys we frequently talk to individuals with retail theft charges, resisting arrest or other charges in Lake County. Once they’re done with a diversion program leading to their case being dismissed, charges get dropped or have had their record sealed for at least ten years, our Lake County record expungement attorneys can file the expungement paperwork with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Are you eligible to get your Lake County recond expunged?

 
In order to have your record expunged in Tavares, the following must apply to your case:
  1. Either your case has been dismissed or completed a diversion program (you are eligible as soon as the case is formally closed) or have had your record sealed for at least 10 years.
  2. You must have no Adjudications of Guilt on your record for any criminal offense in any State.
  3. You must have never applied for a record sealing or expungement prior in any State. As of July 1, 2013, a previous seal or expunction of a criminal record in a jurisdiction outside the state of Florida will not disqualify an applicant to seal or expunge a Florida criminal history record.
  4. Your crime must not be one listed in Florida Statute 907.041 (Most sex crimes and violent crimes). Any case can be expunged if it was dropped or dismissed and you are otherwise eligible.

​What is the difference between a sealing and expungement?

Our Lake County record expungement attorneys are frequently asked what the difference between sealing and expunging a record is. In simple terms having your record sealed is like stapling it shut and having it expunged destroys the record. The sealed record can be viewed with a court order. The governmental entities listed in Florida Statute 943.059(4) (a) will be able to access a sealed record in its entirety. When a record is expunged those same entities that have access to a sealed record will be told that the subject of the record has had a record expunged. They cannot access the record without petitioning a Court and receiving a Court Order. Without petitioning a Court they would merely receive a boiler plate statement stating something like, “criminal information has been expunged from this record.” So, what’s the difference in real life? Unless you’re applying to a governmental agency if your record is sealed or expunged the general public will not be able to find the record. If you are applying to a government agency they’ll know your record has been expunged but nothing else unless they go through the difficult process of petitioning the Court. If your record is sealed you must disclose it when purchasing a firearm. When your record is expunged you can legally deny that is occurred even when purchasing a firearm. The process is very similar so if you are eligible for expunction you might as well go that route. You can only do this once in Florida. If you get adjudicated guilty of misdemeanor attaching a tag not assigned you would not be allowed to get your old marijuana possession charge sealed or expunged.
 
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement likes to scrutinize the applications when applying for an expungement. Our Lake County expungement attorney Kelly Johnson has filed numerous applications for expunction and petition for expungements. She also signed off on them as a former prosecutor. We understand what the requirements are and what is necessary for an Order to Expunge. Since FDLE can run around 6 months behind on processing applications, you should act quickly to get the process started as soon as possible. FDLE approval is the slowest of a multi-step process. Mount Dora record expungement attorney Kelly Johnson is available to ensure that the process moves as fast as possible. Contact us to see if your record is eligible to be expunged at 352-735-4342.