Anger In The Workplace…Anger At Home

December 19, 2009  |  Jon P. Erickson

Anger in the Workplace . . . Anger at Home First, two examples of anger in the workplace and anger at home: In the Workplace: Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones were business partners sharing an office, work space, common area, and staff. The two men had no altercations in the past, however, on one particular day an argument between the two men escalated to verbal threats, pushing and shoving. The next day, without Mr. Jones knowledge, Mr. Smith went to court and obtained a harassment restraining order by filing a petition and affidavit with the court. The court issued a temporary restraining order ordering no contact between Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones at the workplace. Mr. Jones was unable to conduct his business for almost two weeks until a hearing was held to consider the matter of changing the restraining order. Mr. Smith also went to the local police on the day of the argument and filed a complaint accusing Mr. Jones of harassment, assault, and terroristic threats. Mr. Jones was ultimately charged with a misdemeanor assault. At Home: One Friday evening Mr. Jones, after a very stressful couple of weeks, came home and found that his 13-year-old son had taken his expensive fishing rod and tackle and gone fishing. Unfortunately, his son,…

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Old Criminal Records Can Be "Off The Record"

December 19, 2009  |  Jon P. Erickson

Old Criminal Records Can Be “Off the Record” By Jon P. Erickson If you or someone you know has an old criminal record, you should be aware that lost civil rights can be restored by pursuing either a “Pardon Extraordinaires” or an “expungement” of the arrest record. When you consult an attorney about clearing up old criminal records, the first step in the process is identifying what occurred in the past. If you have an old criminal conviction, then the law allows for “Pardon Extraordinaires”. If you were arrested but the charges were dismissed or you were found “not guilty”, then you might be able to pursue an “expungement” of your arrest record. Of course, having an attorney involved at the time of your arrest, even if it is just a traffic misdemeanor, may help set up a situation that might result in making an expungement or pardon easier to get. Individuals seeking to clear past criminal records have a variety of reasons. Some want to restore their right to possess a firearm, such as a shotgun for hunting. Others want to have fingerprints and booking photos sealed to prevent future embarrassment. Lastly, having the Board of Pardons restore an individual’s “good name” may help in preventing problems in searching employment or housing….

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More On Clearing Up Old Criminal Records

December 19, 2009  |  Jon P. Erickson

More On Clearing Up Old Criminal Records By Jon P. Erickson The article “Old Criminal Records Can Be ‘Off the Record’”, generated some additional issues which we’d like to address. The article discussed the legal process known as “expungement” in which information in old criminal records resulting from an arrest process can be sealed or returned. In addition to the situations discussed in that article which might be appropriate for expungement, there are several others that might also be appropriate. Some controlled substance convictions are appropriate for expungement, depending upon how the case was handled. Many first-time offenders who were charged with and convicted of a controlled substance crime may be eligible for expungement under the Minnesota law. Also, any individual who is convicted of a felony offense prior to reaching age 21 might also qualify for an expungement under a different Minnesota statute. This particular law provides that an individual who was convicted of a felony offense before reaching age 21 is eligible for an expungement for most felony offense convictions, assuming that five years have passed since the sentence for that offense was served and/or the defendant was discharged from probation. In addition, the individual could not have been convicted of any other new felony or gross misdemeanor offenses during the…

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