Have you applied for a job that requires a criminal background check, or a professional school that requires disclosure of arrests or convictions, or a professional license that requires both of these? If so, a criminal record can often cause significant delays, and even outright denial of these and other types applications. For first-offenders, expungment of your record is possible under Section 99-19-71 of the Mississippi Code. What is an expungement? Simply put, an expungement means that any record or evidence of the criminal charge, arrest and/or conviction is erased from all official records. In other words, when the Court enters an expungement order, it’s like the arrest never happened.

The only requirements to get this type of expungement are that (1) the conviction was for a misdemeanor [other than a traffic violation]; and (2) the conviction was the person’s first offense. Mississippi law has recently changed to allow expungement of certain felonies as well.

The process involves several steps, but once it is complete and a Judge enters the expungement order and it is served to the appropriate officials, your record for all practical purposes should be clean. Most importantly, by statute you may legally and truthfully say, even under oath, that you have never been convicted of the crime.

Anyone eligible for a first-offender expungement should take advantage of the benefits that the Mississippi law provides. It provides you a chance to clean up your record, fix a bad decision or a poor judgment call, and move on without worry of your record getting in the way of your life. Contact a qualified and experienced Mississippi attorney today if you or someone you know or love could benefit from a fresh start.

Have you applied for a job that requires a criminal background check, or a professional school that requires disclosure of arrests or convictions, or a professional license that requires both of these? If so, a criminal record can often cause significant delays, and even outright denial of these and other types applications. For first-offenders, expungment of your record is possible under Section 99-19-71 of the Mississippi Code. What is an expungement? Simply put, an expungement means that any record or evidence of the criminal charge, arrest and/or conviction is erased from all official records. In other words, when the Court enters an expungement order, it’s like the arrest never happened.

The only requirements to get this type of expungement are that (1) the conviction was for a misdemeanor [other than a traffic violation]; and (2) the conviction was the person’s first offense. Mississippi law has recently changed to allow expungement of certain felonies as well.

The process involves several steps, but once it is complete and a Judge enters the expungement order and it is served to the appropriate officials, your record for all practical purposes should be clean. Most importantly, by statute you may legally and truthfully say, even under oath, that you have never been convicted of the crime.

Anyone eligible for a first-offender expungement should take advantage of the benefits that the Mississippi law provides. It provides you a chance to clean up your record, fix a bad decision or a poor judgment call, and move on without worry of your record getting in the way of your life. Contact a qualified and experienced Mississippi attorney today if you or someone you know or love could benefit from a fresh start.

Good news for residents of Horn Lake, MS – Overall crime was down in 2010 compared to the previous year. According to the numbers reported in a recent Desoto Times-Tribune article, the total number of arrests and reports in Horn Lake were both down in 2010, with several categories pertaining to stealing and assault posting double-digit decline rates. “In a down economy you would expect all of the categories to go up but that’s not the case,” said Horn Lake Police Chief Darryl Whaley. “I attribute a lot of it to good police work and I say that because I think our employees do a good job.”

The Horn Lake police department concentrated on several high concentration areas for theft, and it has apparently worked. Burglaries fell by 14 percent from 143 cases in 2009 to 123 in 2010, and grand larcenies fell by 17 percent from 226 cases in 2009 to 188 in 2010. Chief Whaley also contributes part of the decrease to improved involvement by citizens and extra police patrols. Overall, the Horn Lake police made 1,861 arrests in 2010, down from 1,986 arrests in 2009. Fewer reports were also filed in 2010, down from 3,937 in 2009 to 3,248 in 2010.

We are very encouraged by the reduction in crime during these challenging economic times, and would like to thank the Horn Lake MS police department for their efforts in protecting and serving our community. Unfortunately, there are still many cases where good people get caught in very difficult situations that result in being arrested for serious mistakes or very poor judgment. If you or someone you know needs help, it is important for you to contact a qualified and experienced Mississippi Criminal Defense attorney.

Crime is down in Southaven, MS, and community residents helped in the effort. The Desoto Times-Tribune reports that community involvement was a big factor in the reduction of crime for 2010 despite the recessed economy. “Proactive citizens, I think, contribute directly to the numbers being down in the number of crimes and reports filed.” said Southaven Police Chief Tom Long. In fact, calls and services placed with the Southaven Police Department were up from 2009 by over 10,000 with 41,534 placed in 2010. Chief Long explains this increase has helped in the big reduction of theft crimes, with shoplifting, non-felony larceny and grand larceny all seeing significant decreases in 2010. “People are calling us about a lot more things and reporting more suspicious activity,” Long said.

Compared to the rest of the nation, Southaven stacked up pretty well, unlike neighboring Memphis, TN. The violent crime index is much lower in Southaven than elsewhere at only 1.08 (violent crimes per 1000 residents), compared to 4.29 nationally and a whopping 18.07 in Memphis. Southaven’s property crimes are still slightly higher than the national average at 36.51 (property crimes per 1000 residents) compared to the national index of 30.36 – but much better than Memphis’ 70.76 property crime rate.

We applaud the efforts of both the Southaven, MS residents and the Southaven Police Department for making the community a safer place to live in 2010, and it is our sincere hope that this trend will continue in the future. Unfortunately, there are still many cases where good people get caught in very difficult situations that result in being arrested from serious mistakes or very poor judgment, and innocent people being arrested mistakenly for crimes they did not commit. If you or someone you love has been involved in a crime, it is important for you to contact a qualified and experienced Mississippi Criminal Defense attorney. It is important to get help to protect your rights.

Crime is down in Southaven, MS, and community residents helped in the effort. The Desoto Times-Tribune reports that community involvement was a big factor in the reduction of crime for 2010 despite the recessed economy. “Proactive citizens, I think, contribute directly to the numbers being down in the number of crimes and reports filed.” said Southaven Police Chief Tom Long. In fact, calls and services placed with the Southaven Police Department were up from 2009 by over 10,000 with 41,534 placed in 2010. Chief Long explains this increase has helped in the big reduction of theft crimes, with shoplifting, non-felony larceny and grand larceny all seeing significant decreases in 2010. “People are calling us about a lot more things and reporting more suspicious activity,” Long said.

Compared to the rest of the nation, Southaven stacked up pretty well, unlike neighboring Memphis, TN. The violent crime index is much lower in Southaven than elsewhere at only 1.08 (violent crimes per 1000 residents), compared to 4.29 nationally and a whopping 18.07 in Memphis. Southaven’s property crimes are still slightly higher than the national average at 36.51 (property crimes per 1000 residents) compared to the national index of 30.36 – but much better than Memphis’ 70.76 property crime rate.

We applaud the efforts of both the Southaven, MS residents and the Southaven Police Department for making the community a safer place to live in 2010, and it is our sincere hope that this trend will continue in the future. Unfortunately, there are still many cases where good people get caught in very difficult situations that result in being arrested from serious mistakes or very poor judgment, and innocent people being arrested mistakenly for crimes they did not commit. If you or someone you love has been involved in a crime, it is important for you to contact a qualified and experienced Mississippi Criminal Defense attorney. It is important to get help to protect your rights.

According to a February 2011 article in the Desoto Times Tribune, crime in Southaven for 2010 was down from previous years. According to Southaven police chief, Tom Long, there were only 17 robberies (lowest in 20 years), 529 shoplifting incidents (compared with 639 in 2009), and a significant decrease in felony and non-felony larceny cases. Chief Long attributes the decrease to a more involved community, citing to the fact that the police department received more than 10,000 more calls in 2010 than they did in 2009. Long also attributes the decrease in crime to increased police presence in the city, indicating that citizens and business owners have noticed the extra visibility in patrol vehicles. Finally, Long admits that the decrease in shoplifting charges is also attributable to the fact that several large retailers have closed in harsh economic times.
No matter how diligent the citizens, no matter how aggressive the law enforcement agency, there will always be those who choose to commit crimes in our community. For every arrest that is warranted, the same is true that there are arrests that are unwarranted. If you have been charged with a crime (shoplifting, domestic violence, assault, disorderly conduct, failure to obey law enforcement, resisting arrest, driving under the influence (DUI), possession of marijuana or other drugs, possession of paraphernalia, or any other misdemeanor charge in Southaven), we can help. Please call for a free consultation with a Southaven criminal defense lawyer.

According to a recent article by the DeSoto Times-Tribune, Desoto County, MS drunk driving arrests made over the New Year’s Holiday were relatively low. Only 30 alcohol related arrests were made during New Years Eve and Day for the entire county of over 150,000 residents. However, to many including local law enforcement, it is still unacceptable. “I know the county is growing so all of our numbers are increasing but it’s still a little much,” said Southaven, MSPolice Chief Tom Long. “For New Years Eve and Day, that’s not extraordinary but for any other night it would be.” Long said any number of DUIs is too high. “There is just no excuse for it,” Long said. “At this day and age, you can get rides. Why would you jeopardize you or your families safety?”

Increased drunk driving education, extra patrols and inclement weather during the holidays contributed to the number being lower than expected. “You have to realize it was raining until midnight pretty hard,” said Horn Lake, MS Police Chief Darryl Whaley. “I think that put a stymie on it a little bit. The other thing is, we put a lot of emphasis on not drinking and driving and a lot of times people will really watch that on holidays.” Overall, there were 57 DUI arrests for the entire week of New Years and 62 total alcohol related arrests for all of DeSoto County.

We applaud law enforcement in their efforts to make our roads safer, and encourage everyone to abstain from drinking and driving. Unfortunately, people make mistakes and sometimes people are wrongfully charged with driving under the influence by overzealous law enforcement. Anyone charged with a DUI in Mississippi has it in their best interest to fight the charges against them, or face severe penalties, fines, and possible jail time. It is extremely important to find a highly skilled North Mississippi DUI lawyer with the resources and experience required to aggressively fight for the best possible outcome in your drunk driving case.