I am applying for a job that asks if I have ever been arrested, convicted or on probation. My question is do I need to answer yes to any of these if my charges were dismissed in court. I was on pre-trial supervision while going through this and I am not even sure I was arrested since I was never brought to jail. The officer just took my statement and told me when and where to be at court
Michael’s answer: Unfortunately, if you were actually convicted of the charge, unless you have the charge “vacated” (the closest thing to expungement in the State of Washington), you must answer “yes”. Most charges can be vacated which specifically permits you to answer “no”. However, in the internet age nothing ever disappears. So even if you have had the charge vacated and the non-conviction data removed, a diligent search is bound to find it. The other problem you face is that some courts will not vacate a “dismissed ” charge. So if the dismissal was based on a deferred sentence, you may not be able to get it vacated. Find an attorney to help you. This is far too complicated to manage om your own.
