Felony conviction......do I still have a chance in life???

Question

Greetings all, My name is Derek, I'm 33 years old. Five years ago I was charged with a terrorist threat..no, I'm not a terrorist nor am I an Al Quaeda sympathizer. I was a Firefighter for 11 years and came into contact with an individual online who sent me over the edge causing me to make the mistake of sending a bomb threat...yes...very stupid! I lived a criminal free life until that awful mistake. I've been married 14 years and have 2 beautiful children. I'm a decorated Veteran & a decorated Firefighter for having saved lives. Since my conviction five years ago, I've had no negative contact with law enforcement which is not hard, I've always lived a clean/drug free life. Being a 4th generation Firefighter, I've failed my Wife & children. I'm in college in hopes to make it back in the Fire Service. An attorney said I can get it expunged. Is my career over? Do I have another chance? Any advise is appreciated. You can visit me at my, MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/101545150

Answer 1

Chance is for fools, men make choices and stand for something.

Felony conviction; not a step in the right direction, but I don't beleive it to be the end of the world. Let me start out with disclaimers; I am not an attorney so nothing I say is presented as legal advice.

Good for you getting back to your education. A veteran should know that nothing is over until we decide it is. I have come from a childhood of many felons around me and they decided to lower their head and go through life as a blue collar worker; many taking on jobs as carpenters, and other similar type work. To my pleasant surprise, I have heard that there have been some felons who have turned it all around and become very productive members of society to include going to law school and becoming defense attorneys.

The choices are out there and only you can decide what is best for you first, your family second. You may be wondering why I placed things in that priority. I learned it from my mentor, a six time convicted felon. If you do things for others before you do them for you, you are setting yourself up and holding them hostage. What if you don't succeed? Who's to blame? Them? You? If you do it for yourself, being a typcial human being, you will do it for yourself and the ones you love will profit not only for your success, but for the change in you that the success produces.

On the local government job note, I am not sure if they are as forgiving and will re-hire you, you need to ask that question before you pursue the studies to get back into uniform. If not, there are other things you can do.

Now, I don't judge people or impose my morals and values upon anyone else, but I do have to comment on something. I went to your myspace page; is it appropriate to have that background as a married man with children? If your going to change your life, and truly change your environment for the better, you need to start thinking a little about your choices. Your wife may not say anything about the background on your myspace, that's if she even knows about it, but I suspect it isn't what she would prefer to see there. As I have said, I don't judge people, I have been judged by all my tatoos myself, but first impressions do make us determine who we are dealing with. If I were to judge you by what you have told me and what you have shown me on your myspace page, I would think I am speaking with someone who is smart, but not willing to mature into the person his current situation requires. That may be due to incarceration, if you served time, or that may be due to the military service which you haven't yet transistioned from (I have friends that got out with me some 15 years ago that haven't transitioned yet; one just re-upped for Iraq).

The overall goal is to make you be the you that you want to be; and that starts by the choices you make, starting with the myspace.

I hope this is valuable to you; I was fortunate enough to learn things from convicted felons that has kept me out of trouble and I hope this gives back a little to that cause. Best of luck; you can do it, and never quit fighting the good fight for yourself, those you love, and those who count upon you. Oh, I read something recently that made me stop and think. It read, "Are you living, or are you just existing?" I suppose that is an interesting question we all must ask ourselves.

Best regards,

Answer 2

Your attorney is right. You can get it expunged, which makes it like it never happened. If your reputation locally has been harmed, get your record clean and move, then apply for a new fitrefighting job, and give the person in your old dept who will be contacted as a referance instructions not to mention or elaborate on the incident. An Expunged offense Should not be a matter of further discussion.

Answer 3

The Attorney is correct. You can have your file sealed, and/or destroyed. Didn't the Attorney tell you how to get it done? You have to show that you have not been in any other criminal problems, and have led an exemplary life since the Threat Arrest. If you can not Afford an Attorney for the process, then check with your Local or State Representatives. They may be able to help you.
I hope that others read your story, and learn from your mistake.

Answer 4

You can have the conviction expunged, but then you will still have the arrest on your record. Some employers are of the mind-set that if you were arrested you must be guilty, I would recommend going through the Governors office of the state you live in and apply for a pardon, if the facts are as you state then you will probably succeed and then you can go into court and have the arrest removed from the record and start with a clean slate.

Answer 5

If you are asking me, based on your story, I forgive you. I think most other people will too. Its OK to make a mistake, its how you respond to the mistake that matters. The only way that you can fail your family now is to give up hope. Please don't. Of course you still have a chance in life. Don't give up hope. Sure there may be some people who hold your past against you but as long as you don't let it be a ball and chain then it won't. I hope this proverb helps: When money is lost, nothing is lost When health is lost, something is lost When hope is lost, all is lost

Answer 6

The law is rules by fools. The system can't tell the difference between good people and bad people anymore. I don't know the answer to your question. As a racist, I learned early on never to make threats. If I were going to, uh, be rude toward somebody, I'd never talk about it. And besides, threats don't work unless they are made by people with a reputation for being able to carry them out with impunity. Since I'm not one of those people, I'd just look like a loudmouthed idiot to threaten somebody.

Answer 7

First, Derek, you need to recognize and come to grips with your felony. You haven't quite accepted responsibility for it yet. The closest you come to admitting it is saying you were "charged with" and then someone else "sent me over the edge". TAKE RESPONSIBILITY NOW and then FORGIVE YOURSELF.

YOur career is not over until you say it's over or until you quit trying.

P.S. Don't try to make up for making a mistake. JUST BE A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE OF IT. Good Luck

Answer 8

press forward you will be just fine. sometimes we do make silly mistakes that we regret.in time you will be fine.stop beating yourself. i realize that the occurrence was very serious you paid your dues.you will be back on top.its gonna take time for some to gain trust and respect. it will happen. plus, you did not bomb anyone. thank you

Answer 9

You will need a good lawyer to fight the case. You can do it though. Show you have been patriotic. Best of luck to you!

Answer 10

With every door closed, another one opens. Stop looking back and move on with your life.