Legal Question in Criminal Law in Missouri

In 2007 when I lived in Missouri I was in a grocery store and opened a coke before paying for it. I was written a City Ordinance Citation for Shoplifting. I did NOT go to jail. In court I plead guilty and had to pay restitution plus a 60 dollar fine. I plead guilty because I was only 18, didn't want my parents to find out, and did not know that it would affect me for the rest of my life. I am currently working on starting a career in Law Enforcement. I make it to the top of the application process every time I apply however I always get denied employment due to shoplifting being a crime of Moral Turpitude. I have contacted Lawyers in Missouri concerning getting the charge expunged, however I haven't found one willing to look in to it. I have also looked in to Executive Clemency but it takes 18 to 24 months. Any suggestions or guidance is greatly appreciated.


Asked on 4/03/11, 12:55 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael R. Nack Michael R. Nack, Attorney at Law

Your story is a good example of why people should get legal advice and hire an attorney when they have legal issues in the first place. I'm sorry that this is a lesson you had to learn the hard way. If you had hired an attorney, it is quite likely that the conviction could have been avoided and you would not be suffering all of the negativeconsequences you now face. Now, there is no guarantee that any lawyer will be able to fix the problem. However, depeing upon where you went to Court and entered your plea of guilty it might be possiblefor an attorney to get that plea set aside. I have done this on numerous occassions for clients, but I can not guarantee that it would work in your case. If you are interested in talking about it you can give me a call. No matter what you elect to do, good luck.

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Answered on 4/05/11, 1:38 pm


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