questions & answers

Question: I was arrested for several checks that had bounced on a business account I was a signer for but it wasn't my account. The business paid the full amount of the bounced checks and it was dismissed by the judge, but it is still showing as a felony charge on my record and I can't even get an apartment because of this charge. How do I remove this from my record?

Answer:

Unfortunately, in Arizona one can only have their arrest record expunged if they were wrongfully arrested, indicted, or charged with a crime. Even if a case is eventually dropped because of lack of sufficient evidence, the arrest can still have been legally OK. If a person with a record thinks that they were wrongfully arrested, indicted, or charged with a crime, they should take a look at the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), Section 13-4051. For more information on criminal recordkeeping in Arizona in general, take a look at the “Questions” page on the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s website located here. The State of Arizona has no control over the records kept by other states. If you have an issue with an arrest in another state, you will have to take care of it with the authorities in that state.