Legal Question in Criminal Law in Louisiana

At age 17 my son was arrested at school for being in possession of a knife. With all the new laws since Columbine, he was charged with a felony, taken to jail, released then went before the judge. He was not afforded an opportunity to plea. He was given PTI (pre-trial intervention). The DA told him to pay $800.00, stay out of trouble and when all is paid charges will be dropped. He is now going on twenty one and according to him, when they ran his license at a traffic stop it came back as a felony arrest but no conviction. My question is this: Is he able to purchase firearms since there was no conviction and charges were dismissed? I believe if he has a felony conviction he cannot possess or purchase, is this correct. A local attorney wants $1000, plus $450 in court fees to expunge this record. Secondly is this even necessary?


Asked on 3/31/10, 4:41 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Andrew Casanave Andrew M. Casanave

Unless he either pled or was found guilty in court, he is not convicted. He can legally posess weapons. He might want to expunge simply to stop having to explain himself. Feel free to contact other lawyers & shop the price.

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Answered on 4/05/10, 7:11 pm


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