I have a few questions regarding a possible domestic battery charge that
occurred in early January of 2007 in Illinois:

At the time, I had just turned 18. My 17 year old sister and I got into originally a verbal altercation regarding our significant others. At one point, I had said
something to her about her boyfriend and she hauled back and struck me
full force in the back of my head which dazed me. Before being struck,
I was in the process of a cutting a pizza with my back turned to her.
I turned around, still dazed, with the knife in my hand. She then
yelled to my brother that I was going to stab her, which I had
absolutely no intention of doing. I had set the knife down, and was in
the process of going down to my room when my brother grabbed me,
tackled me, and dragged me towards the dining area where he held me
down on my back and my sister pummeled me.

Once she was done, he took a few shots, then dumped our dogs full water dish in my face, choking me for several seconds. I got away, sprinted towards the open door leading to my bedroom downstairs where my sister caught up with me as I reached the landing and slammed the door on my fingers, breaking my pinky finger. I went down, called my girlfriend who lived in the nextsubdivision over, and asked her to come get me.

While packing my belongings, my sister had called my mother who was out shopping and told her that I was beating her and my brother and that I attempted to stab her. My mother, who has always held me in lower regard than my other siblings because I'm a spitting image of my father who divorced
her years before, called the county sheriffs on me. This was not the first time she had falsely called the police on me. I was on my way out the garage through the laundry room door when I heard my mom come in and my sister yell that I was fleeing. I hadn't even known that the police had been called at this point. My sister, mother, and aunt (who had been shopping with her) proceeded to chase me out the garage and into the driveway where my brother blindsided me and tackled me onto the gravel driveway, injuring both my knees.

He and my mom then carried me by my arms and legs like a pig on a spit into the laundry room where my mother and my aunt blocked each door leading in or out of the house. They then told me that I was going to jail for attempted murder and berated me for the entire 40 minutes I was held in the laundry room. Might I also add that I was a 5'9 160lb vegetarian held by both my 275lb-plus mother and aunt, and assaulted by my 6'1, 200lb brother and 5'6 190lb sister, if that makes any difference.

When the police arrived, they immediately cuffed me without so much as my Mirandas or hearing my side of the story. I stood there in cuffs whilst my mother, brother, and sister told the police a completely different story than what had happened. Once they were done, I asked the officers if I could tell them my side outside and I gave them what actually happened. My sister had no wounds whatsoever on her as I never had an opportunity to even defend myself, but somehow she had a split lip. The police obviously took this into account more than my bruised head, broken finger, bruised knees, and black eye. Since I was 18 and they were both minors, I was originally charged with domestic battery and since I was arrested Thursday evening, my arraignment was Friday morning. I spent 36 hours in county jail until I was released on $300 bail. I immediately opted for a public defender since I worked part time at Burger King.

This being my first criminal offense ever, the PD got my sentence reduced to simple battery. I received a conditional release and was required to see a psychiatrist for a domestic violence intake as well as attend a one-day DV seminar. Along with the court ordered requirements, I also had an order of protection placed against me, stating that I could have no contact with the offending parties which rendered me homeless. My manager at work took me in, and was only allowed to grab necessities from my house and only if a Sheriff was present.

Once everything was completed, I was allowed back home where I was treated like a dirt once more, but I persevered and in October of '08, I enlisted in the US Navy where my past had once again followed me. I was not allowed to choose the job I had originally signed up for(Navy Master at Arms, equivalent to Military Police) as unbeknownst to me, the Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968 prevents any member of the armed forces from possessing any firearm material that has been convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge retroactive to 1996. I was able to enlist with a different job, but I was shocked because I was under the impression that the domestic had been dropped! I have just sent off for the arrest record from the Illinois State Police and am awaiting to see what the actual charges were, and what my outcome will be. I'm 21 years old and I do not want this to affect me for the rest of my life. My ultimate goal is to become an intelligence officer in the Navy and eventually go to work for the FBI. Law enforcement has always been my passion, and I don't want this to hem me up any longer.

My questions are these: What can I do to get this record wiped clean? If it is a domestic, what is my course of action? If it is a battery charge, can it be expunged/sealed? How would this affect federal job placement in the long run?

All I want to do is serve my country honorably and to the best of my abilities, and I believe that I was wrongly accused and put into a very difficult spot. Since then, my mother has kicked out my little sister and brother for good on separate occasions. My brother and sister are now of age, and we have forgiven and forgotten since the incident and have a great relationship. They want me to succeed and would also like to see this go away. Thank you for all the help, and sorry for the length of this post. I just want all of this to go away for good.