Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Illinois

Hello! My 17 year old daughter received a citation last night in the amount of $350.00 for admitting possession of cannabis and a glass bowl. The young gentleman driving the vehicle was arrested for DUI (due to cannabis). The young man driving the vehicle purchased the cannabis, and from what my daughter informed me, the cannabis was in the vehicle, but my daughter and the other girl did not want him to get the additional charge of possession. Will this be on her record permanently, or should we dispute the charge. She will be 18 this March, and she is attending a university in Illinois. Not sure if this information is of importance, but our permanent residence is in Kentucky.


Asked on 1/21/17, 3:43 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lawrence A. Stein Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa, LLC

Those charges are quite minor in the scheme of things, and are unlikely to negatively affect her status at school or even her career prospects. If universities didn't admit students who smoked pot, they'd go out of business. And employers of college graduates usually don't care about one incident like this after they graduate.

Your daughter can almost certainly keep it off her "permanent record" by asking for "court supervision." I dont see a great value in having a trial if your daughter confessed to the police, even if it wasn't her pot. If the pot was in a part of the car that your daughter had access to, like the center console or even under a nearby seat, the court could find her guilty. Remember she wasn't charged with owning the pot and the pipe, just possessing them. So whether they were "hers" or not doesn't really matter. They'll be expenses involved, and your daughter should get a lawyer.

Read more
Answered on 1/21/17, 4:30 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More General Civil Litigation questions and answers in Illinois