Arrested last night - what repercussions will this have on my career?
Hi All,
Something horrible happened hours ago.
I was hanging out with my friend in Union City, NJ and went into 7/11 to charge my phone.
When I went outside, some guy dressed as a civilian was arresting him.
I asked the man to show me his badge while he was arresting my friend and he showed it.
I asked again 5 minutes later because I was confused about my friend resisting and he showed it again.
My friend then ran away and I walked back into 7/11 and when I went outside the guy was there to arrest me.
I was just trying to be a good friend and thought he was getting mugged because the man wasn't dressed as a police officer.
I got arrested for 'obstructing an arrest' but I genuinely was confused and drunk.
I'll have to appear in municipal court for this.
I have all the respect in the world for police officers and all I did was ask twice for his badge. He said I was resisting because I turned my head as I was getting handcuffed.
They told me I can only get the arrest expunged with a good lawyer after 5 years. I'm terrified about the repercussions this might have for my career. I currently work for a large investment bank in IT.
They said I won't be fired but if what they said is true it also means I might have to try my best to stay at my bank for 5 more years (been here for 2+ years. Any time you apply for a job you're asked if you've ever been arrested).
How do things look for me?
Get a good lawyer to try for a plea deal to public drunkenness or disorderly conduct with a fine and alcohol awareness class.
Wow what a nice friend you have. You are the company you keep.
You’ll be fine. You just have a story to tell if this is ever brought up about how you were a good friend that got unlucky. Seriously, this won’t have any impact on your career. Plenty of people have done way worse and have gotten hired. Just look up some threads on WSO to see for yourself.
Any felony, criminal deception (e.g., fraud), theft, or morally heinous crime (e.g., domestic violence) are the things to be worried about. A drunk kid getting arrested for trying to help his friend does not fall into any of these categories.
Depends on how they charge it; in NJ it can qualify as a 4th degree felony. It will come up on background checks for sure. Not good, particularly for an IT type when there are a glut of IT types applying.
HR is not going to believe the aiding a friend story, so work on a better explanation that shows contrition.
Edited
hey man you work in IT. just hack into your own records
jokes aside, consider making new friends.
You need immediate legal counsel. You shouldn't be speaking to anyone other than your own legal representation, this means no to your colleagues, no to human resources, no to law enforcement etc...
forgot I made this thread.
Hi Everyone,
The case was dismissed and I got to walk away with a clean record. Thank you for your support.
had same thing happen to me. always lawyer up and you'll usually be fine
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