Question about public intoxication.

[Subfallen]

So a college-age friend of mine got arrested and charged with public intoxication. He *thinks* he can get the charge dismissed because he has several friends who will testify that he was neither a danger to himself nor others. But you never know.

My question for OOT is: say the worst happens, how much will a single public intoxication incident (Class C Misdemeanor) affect his employability? Does anyone here have any experience with this?

This is a serious post, and I appreciate any serious feedback provided. (No, I am not the friend, in fact I don't drink.)

[shant]

I wasn't arrested for this, but I got the misdemeanor ticket for it. Is that anywhere near the same thing? It hasn't affected my hirability because I work in design and they could care less. I've been absolutely no help.

[Subfallen]

Yes, that's the same thing. I guess strictly speaking he wasn't "arrested", but the cop did take him to the station until his friends could come pick him up.

[ChipWrecked]

Probably will be dropped or knocked down to disturbing the peace or some such. If not, he can file to have his record expunged later.

[shant]

Oh OK, well then maybe I can be of some help. I just paid the ticket and never heard about it again. I've never been asked about it in a job interview, but like I said I work in design and they're not as straight-laced as other fields.

[Hal 2000]

Depends on the job. Typically, the application will ask either have you been convicted of a felony in the last X years, OR, have you been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in the past X years. If he's applying for a particularly responsible job in the very near future, I imagine it might be a problem. As far as after college, I doubt it, unless he plans on working for the government.

[Sponger15SB]

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He *thinks* he can get the charge dismissed because he has several friends who will testify that he was neither a danger to himself nor others.

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Uh, if this was possible wouldn't everyone do it?

Maybe it is, but I've never ever heard anyone doing this.

[rohjoh]

California lets you go to a traffic school like class, all about alcohol awareness. Pretty boring, but it erases it off your record.

[Subfallen]

[ QUOTE ]
If he's applying for a particularly responsible job in the very near future...

[/ QUOTE ]

So this sort of thing loses significance with time, right? I told him that, but he's kind of worried. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

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Probably will be dropped or knocked down to disturbing the peace or some such. If not, he can file to have his record expunged later.

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Hmm...interesting, I'll advise him to look into this expungement thing.

[Hal 2000]

Does he have representation? My attorney was excellent in explaining to me how to treat my 'indiscretion' when pursuing jobs..

[Drew16]

My friend got busted for PI. It stays on for 7 years and yes it kept him from getting a job.

[Subfallen]

Bump for the day shift.

[djoyce003]

If he wasn't a danger to himself or others...why did the cop charge him and arrest him....seriously this is probably about like a traffic ticket where you are guilty until proven innocent...and your friends saying you weren't is not likely to carry much weight.

I'd get a lawyer and try to plea it down to something stupid and less serious like disturbing the peace...then you can just say you were having a loud party and got a ticket.

[Subfallen]

[ QUOTE ]
If he wasn't a danger to himself or others...why did the cop charge him and arrest him....seriously this is probably about like a traffic ticket where you are guilty until proven innocent...and your friends saying you weren't is not likely to carry much weight.

I'd get a lawyer and try to plea it down to something stupid and less serious like disturbing the peace...then you can just say you were having a loud party and got a ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a small college town and the cops are complete, utter, pricks. My friend was not that drunk, and believes he was most definitely not endangering or annoying anyone at the time.

[wh1t3bread]

He can probably get a lawyer for a few hundred bucks to get this either dismissed in court or pled down to a lesser misdemeanor.

As for hurting his hire-ability. As long as it's just a one time thing (and no DUI's, Underage Possession, etc) I really doubt this will have a huge effect on him not getting a job. The main reason is that it occurred in college. If this happened when he was 25 then maybe it would be a different story. This can easily be explained if it does come up during an interview/application process as being in the wrong place at the wrong time in college.

In regards to Government positions. This could have an effect when trying to obtain a security clearance. But as long as you can adequately explain why/how this occurred and the fact that this was the ONLY time you were ever in trouble you will probably be okay here too. This always depends though on who is reviewing your case.

[phil_ivey_fan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If he wasn't a danger to himself or others...why did the cop charge him and arrest him....seriously this is probably about like a traffic ticket where you are guilty until proven innocent...and your friends saying you weren't is not likely to carry much weight.

I'd get a lawyer and try to plea it down to something stupid and less serious like disturbing the peace...then you can just say you were having a loud party and got a ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a small college town and the cops are complete, utter, pricks. My friend was not that drunk, and believes he was most definitely not endangering or annoying anyone at the time.

[/ QUOTE ]


yeah cops love a power trip. I was arrested for leaving a bar with a bottle in my hand. Wasn't drunk, but just took two steps out on to the sidewalk and was picked up by Officer Dudley DoRight, take in the Patty-Wagon with real criminals (I live in atlanta) to the station. where they locked me in a holding cell until I missed my flight to Europe the next morning. My parent's lawyer said I could get out of it if I go to court but I was leaving to go to Europe for the summer (study abroad in Barcelona).

The point is to just take it in stride. Cops act like bad asses around most college students because they realize that there is this small window while they still make more money than most of us. After college, the roles reverse and they get to go back to racial profiling...

[RunDownHouse]

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California lets you go to a traffic school like class, all about alcohol awareness. Pretty boring, but it erases it off your record.

[/ QUOTE ]
I got a class C from the great state of Indiana when I was 18. I had to do an 8 hour class, and it was taken off my record.

Note that this is much different from expunging your record, which - from what I have read - is an incredibly tedious, complicated, drawn-out process. Lots of times you hear people throw around, "Oh, get your record expunged after X years," but its not nearly as easy as that.