Finding an Old Criminal Record in Dade County Florida

[Olinb]

My question involves criminal records for the state of: Florida

Around 1980 I was arrested for burglary of a broom closet. Long story but the abridged version is: at the apartment I lived in at Miami Lakes Fl. a security guard who was an idiot got to partying with us around the pool most nights. And as 20 year old's we really partied. One night said security guard came in wearing a gun (which he was NOT supposed to have). Late that evening he pulled the gun, pointed it at my friend and pulled the trigger 3 times. He laughed uproariously thinking he was "real" funny. I snatched his gun away and threw it in the pool and we ran him off from our party. Well the next night after we retired for the evening the police showed up and placed me and my friend under arrest for breaking into the closet by the pool where they kept cleaning supplies. A felony. I finished the job I was on shortly thereafter and went home. I traveled back to Miami to go to court and do some maintenance on a computer system and I planned to leave Fl immediately after court. When I arrived at court that day the DA had realized what was going on and offered to reduce the charge to some misdemeanor and sentence me to a $25.00 fine and a year unsupervised probation. The Judge realized I was simply taking the most convenient route since I lived in another state and couldn't afford repeated travel to Miami so he ordered the sentence above and then he also said at the end of the probation my record would be expunged.

I pretty much forgot about all this and went on with life. A few years ago when I went to purchase a firearm I was denied because of the FL charge. After I explained what had happened to the background check investigator, they approved me. But I do not know what exactly is in my record in FL. I am a LONG way from Miami now and I've lost my 25 year old job in banking and finance. I know a thorough background will be run where ever I apply for a new job so I need to resolve this.

The problem is it was so long ago I've forgotten some of the details like which court I would have been tried in, what the exact charge was I was arrested on and also what the misdemeanor charge was that it was reduced to. I had gotten out on bond and I went to court 2 or 3 months after that if that helps with which court I would have been in. I need to know where to go to find out if my record was really expunged or not. I was thinking that maybe a firearms background check finds expunged records but I don't know.

Can anyone tell me where to start in finding out these details?

Thanks so much for any help.....Olin

[Mr. Knowitall]

Check with the court where you were sentenced about obtaining a copy of the file from your case.