My question involves a background check in the State of: Texas.
In 2002, I was arrested for a Class B Misdemeanor - Possession of Marijuana Under 2oz. My parents hired an attorney and I never actually had to go to court myself, even though the court date was reset several times. It was my understanding at the time that I was put on deferred adjudication. I supposedly had to do 40 hours of community service (which I was already planning to do with an organization I was a member of), but I kept track of the hours myself and no one ever really checked in on them. I think I gave a copy of the spreadsheet I made to log the hours to my attorney and that's about it. The charge/case was ultimately dismissed.
Fast forward to now. I've graduated from college and am now applying for jobs that require background checks. I am unsure how to report or disclose this information.
I searched the court records for the county in which the arrest/charges occurred, and the arrest record and court dates show up - but it doesn't say anything about deferred adjudication or community service or any sort of "guilty" or "no contest" plea. All it says is that it was dismissed.
So I paid to search the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Records to see how it was listed there. However, there was no record of it - not even the arrest. Nothing came up at all. There were absolutely zero matches/records for me.
Like I said, I am unsure about how to disclose this information to potential employers. Obviously I don't want to say more than I need to and I don't want to say I was on deferred adjudication if I wasn't, but I am unsure of how it will show up on other background searches.
Any information anyone might be able to provide would be appreciated.

