The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
Being arrested is not only embarrassing, but it can also endanger your employment, licensing, marriage, and reputation. And although you are technically “innocent until proven guilty,” society at large often doesn’t see it that way. Even though they don’t know all of the facts surrounding your case, if you were arrested, you were probably doing something you shouldn’t have been, right?
Not always. Arrests happen all the time, and not always with probable cause. In the case of DUI, field sobriety tests are designed to make you fail, even when sober. In a domestic violence call, an officer will make an arrest for even minor physical contacts, or when one party simply admits that some kind of physical contact occurred during their argument. People can be arrested for an assault and/or battery in self-defense, and mistaken identity occurs a lot more frequently than you would imagine.
Even though a good number of arrests based on flimsy evidence will lead to a dismissal, the arrest still occurred and your life may change considerably for it. You may have to communicate with your employer why you were unable to report for work. Your family will wonder why you were taken away in a police car to jail. And even after you sort through these issues, others may find out about your arrest later on the internet.
Even if you are not a celebrity, certain websites process public-domain booking logs from the Orange County Sheriff’s department, and publish information about your arrest on their own site. This information can include your name, physical description, occupation, bail amount, the crime(s) you were charged with, and perhaps even an unflattering mugshot to accompany the details. Certain websites take matters a step further by publishing your street address.
If you find your personal information on one of these privately-owned websites, the best option is to contact the site owner and politely request that the information be deleted. They are not required by law to comply, but most will readily accommodate your request, especially if you’re nice about it. Because this information can spread from one website to another, it is also best to act quickly.
If you or a loved one are arrested for a crime, contact Irvine criminal lawyer Staycie R. Sena for a free consultation at (949) 477-8088.