Caught With Drugs and Paraphernalia After a Traffic Stop

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Ohio. On January 3rd 2012 I was pulled over for a no headlights violation. The officer did an investigation on me and charged me with posession of marijuana, and posession of drug paraphernalia. I'm only 17 years old, and when I was in the back of the police car I was talking to the cop and told him how I wanted to be a police officer so bad when I got older. I wasnt lyimg. My dream is to be a cop, and i'm not even a pot head and haven't smoked since. It is now February 17th and I still haven't received my court date in the mail. I know several of my friends who were charged with the same thing like a week after me and they already went to court and everything and got it taken care of. I'm still waiting and beginning to think, maybe the officer showed some empathy towards me and tossed away my charges. Somebody please give me some advice on the situation or tell me if you think the court date will still come or not after this much time has already passed. It will be very highly appreciated it!!!!

It is quite possible that the officer took pity on you and tossed it, or it slipped through the cracks some other way, but don't count on it yet. Were you actually taken to juvi? Given a citation? or did the cop just say he was forwarding a report to the prosecutor? If you were taken to juvi, you should have had a court date on the paperwork you were given when you were released. If given a citation, the court date should be on the citation along with instructions on how and where to respond. If either of those is the case, you have probably already missed your court date and may well have a juvi pick-up order. Look at your paperwork and contact the court to find out the status of your case.

If the cop was just going to forward the report, then the more time that passes, the more hopeful you can feel. But, I wouldn't breathe easy for at least 6 months. It sometimes takes a while for the wheels to turn.

In either case (unless your case really did slip through the cracks and you are not going to be charged), the answer to your inevitable next question is, yes, your parents will have to be involved.

No I wasn't taken yo juvi. The officer issued me a citation and released me to my parents. The summons to appear on the citation say TBA which I'm assuming is To Be Announced. It's just bizarre though because I know 3 people that were caught with the same thing and it was after me and they went to court like 4 weeks ago and had it taken care of....

Is the address correct on both your license and the citation? If not, contact the court, check the status of your case, and give them your correct address. If the addresses on both are correct, then sit tight and keep your fingers crossed.

Yes, the address is correct on the citation. If it happens to come and I get convicted of it, do you think I will have a good chance of getting it expunged when I turn 21, if my record stays clean? By the way, I really appreciate your advice, couldn't thank you enough.