Will a Dismissed 3rd Degree Retail Fraud Charge Affect Job Search
My question involves criminal law for the state of: MI
Someone I know was arrested for stealing from a local store and was charged with 3rd degree retail fraud last year. He got a lawyer and went to court for this case. He had his finger prints and mug shots taken at the local police department. He was then offered a one-year-supervised probation diversion program and was told that the case will be dismissed upon completion of the probation.He's also going to file petition to have his arrest records(including mug shots and finger prints) expunged after the probation period. He's a 4.0 college student with great academic performances, but made a very dumb mistake. Will this mistake haunt him forever in job searching even when the case is dismissed and the arrest is expunged. Will his future employers deny his application based on this incident?
Is it true that even if the arrest records are expunged, it helps very little since most companies conduct their background checks through private companies that has access to court records?
Re: Will a Dismissed 3rd Degree Retail Fraud Charge Affect Job Search
Well it's done so there is nothing you can do now so it is what it is.... I guess don't do anything illegal in the future so you don't have to worry about something like this.
It depends on the employer and how they run their checks. We do criminal checks for the purpose of renting to tenants and we go to county and we see all charges but we don't hold dismissed charges against people. I do tend to ask them what it was about though and it does make me more nervous to accept them. But that said, I have not really turned anyone down based on a dismissed charge.
Also some employers (especially small ones) who have exclusively white collar workers don't typically even do criminal checks. I personally have had 5 jobs and 2 internships. I have never had anyone run a criminal check on me. If I remember correctly, one internship had me do a drug test but can't remember circumstances too well.
I guess the most important thing is to keep up that 4.0 GPA assuming you are on a 4.0 grading system. I always thought the world of people with a 4.0. It told me that they will work hard and put in the time needed to complete their assignments.
Re: Will a Dismissed 3rd Degree Retail Fraud Charge Affect Job Search
4.0 doesn't mean anything except the person should have known better.
It does come down to the type of charge; and the type of Diversion Program. Until it is completed and erased from record, it can show on certain background checks.
Also...if cops were called, person was 18 or over, and it was a big box store - then he may be in a Database.....