Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

I had a question regarding a recent incident. My friend and I were in Ohio over the holidays. We went out to a bar and had two empty beer cans in a bag in my truck. We were sitting in the parking lot when two police officers pulled in in front of us. We exited the truck to go into the bar and were prompted to turn around when the officer had shined his light in the truck and asked us what was in the bag. I told him and he took the bag. We were both charged with open container minor misdemeanors and paid the fine the next day. I have a few questions: I am 24 and will be applying for jobs, will this appear in a background check? It is the only charge I have gotten, would I be able to get it removed somehow? The officer assured me that it was no worse than a parking ticket?


Asked on 12/27/11, 3:03 pm

2 Answer from Attorneys
Timothy Hess T. Hess & Associates, LLC

Yes, it is a part of your record for purposes of a background check. and it is a minor misdemeanor which is equivalent in degree as a traffic ticket. You are not required to disclose it when applying for a job unless the employer specifically asks about minor misdemeanors, which they never do. You could request that the record be sealed one year after the date of conviction but it's probably not necessary. Also consider the fact that is easily explainable.

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Answered on 1/01/12, 4:08 pm


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