Any reliable free criminal check online?
About a year and a half ago I shoplifted (under $50) in Texas. I had my driver’s license with me (I’m from NM), but I didn’t know my social security number. They said that was okay. I was under 18, as well. My “penalty” was a $500 fine, which I paid after I returned home… I’ve done some checking but I can’t find any record of it whatsoever… was it sealed or expunged or something because I sent the fine?
It was at a mall, so the manager took me into the back and the security guards asked me for my info, then a policeman came a wrote the citation down…
I’m just not sure if I should put it on my job applications, or whatnot, because I don’t actually know if the arrest was legitimate or if they were just trying to scare me.
It sounds like it was a civil demand instead of a criminal charge, did you pay the 500 to the store or the court would determine whether you have a record or not, but there are not any free sites unless the county where it happened in has a web site where they post criminal and civil court action. You could call them and ask or you could have the records sealed, while they are generally confidential, may be accessed by police officers, sheriff’s officers, prosecutors, correctional officers, and other criminal and juvenile justice officials in the state of Texas as well as elsewhere. In addition, the record may still be available to potential employers, educational institutions, licensing agencies, and other potentially important agencies. It is important to note that juvenile treatment records, those records that concern counseling, placement, and drug treatment, are always confidential and are accessible only by authorized users.
Section 58.003 of the Texas Family Code allows for the sealing of juvenile records. Like adult criminal records, an individual with a juvenile record that is acceptable for sealing can file for a motion to seal his or her juvenile criminal record. This motion must be filed in the same county in which the original criminal proceeding occurred. Once a juvenile record is sealed by the court, the record is removed from the criminal history database.
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