Legal Question in Criminal Law in Missouri

I was arrested in the state of mo. At the time of my arrest no one knew what I was being arrested for, not even my son. The same day of the arrest, my son have told a friend of mine that I got arrested, and that he didn't know why. My friend stated she would call a Probation Officer, whom was a friend of hers, and FIND OUT why I got arrested and what was the situation was. I believe that this information was passed on to my friend by this Probation Officer because of the comments my friend stated to my son. Can a Probation Officer give out this kind of information to a personal friend?


Asked on 7/13/11, 7:51 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Anthony Smith LawSmith

If somoen tells a false thing about you to someon else, that harms yrou reputation with that person, you can sue them for slander. If the statement is true, then you would have to prove they only divulged the negative information to harm you. In this case, it appears that your Son requested information through their friend. The PO seems to have reported back to the friend the truthful statement of the crime you were charged with. That information may have been a public record. If so, then it appears that your Son's friend was acting as an agent of your Son when he requested the information from the PO. Unless you can show that you were harmed, is seems unlikely that you have a viable claim against your Son, his friend or the PO. If the arrest was improper, you might have a claim against the arresting officers. The facts of each case can change the analysis. If you are still interested, you should seek counsel directly from an attorney in your area. who can have access to the precise facts of your case. There may be a limited time in which you can make any of these claims.

Good luck

Read more
Answered on 7/19/11, 10:26 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Criminal Law questions and answers in Missouri