Need advice on how to answer a question
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:42 pm
I am taking my CHL course on Sept. 27th.
As I understand it, in the DPS packet, we are asked if we have ever been arrested. This happened only once and it was nearly thirty years ago. I do not remember when it actually occured, or what the charge was. I have searched the DPS CCH database, and it comes back no matching records found. I have talked to the county sheriffs office where it happened and they say they have no record of it in their system. I explained to them what happend. "I remember it was late fall or early winter, and before Christmas, possibly 1979 but maybe 1980. I had gone with a friend to a dance hall somewhere out in the country. My friend met a girl and asked me if I would ride back with some other friends that had showed up, in which I agreed. It got really cold that night, and I had left my jacket in my friends car and he had already left. We left the Dance hall and I was tired, cold and sleepy. I fell asleep in the back seat on the way home. I woke up to find that I had no idea where we were, somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. The person in the front passenger seat was playing with a spotlight. I kept telling him to turn it off and roll up the window, that I was cold, and I kept asking where we were, which only returned laughter from the other three in the car. A few minutes later a car came down the road and the idiot in the front seat shined the spotlight on the car. It turned out to be a Game Warden. Here is where all the fun began; not.
The officer made us all get out and searched the car. There was a rifle in the front seat that I wasn't even aware of. The Officer asked the driver to open the trunk, from which the driver responded by claiming he didn't have a key to the trunk. It was a brand new car and it belonged to his mom.
We were subsequently arrested and taken to jail. The officer called the drivers mom and had her come down with a key to open the trunk. Inside the trunk was a deer and either a raccoon or a ringed tail, I don't know which. I was held in jail for 17 hours and then released. I don't remember what the actual term for the charge was, but it was for the deer and the coon or ringed tail. I had to see the Justice of the Peace and was fined $106.00 for each animal. A total of $212.00, there was no probation or any jail time other than the arrest, just the fine. Anyway after explaining all of this to the Sheriff's dept. they told me to contact the J.P.s office, and maybe they can help, which I did. They too said they have no record of it, but from what I had told them and because it was only a fine, that it was most likely just a Class C Misdemeanor.
My questions here are what do I put down if I can't remember the date, or what the actual charge was. I mean I don't know if the charge was for hunting without a license, or possession of an untagged deer and coon or ringed tail, or hunting by spotlight, or hunting after dark. I don't think I even knew what the charge was when I paid the fine. Again, this was nearly thirty years ago. Also I don't remember if I was photographed and finger printed or not.
Should I right a letter explaning it like I did here and include it in the packet? What if this isn't enough information for them and they want more, then what do I do?
Any advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
As I understand it, in the DPS packet, we are asked if we have ever been arrested. This happened only once and it was nearly thirty years ago. I do not remember when it actually occured, or what the charge was. I have searched the DPS CCH database, and it comes back no matching records found. I have talked to the county sheriffs office where it happened and they say they have no record of it in their system. I explained to them what happend. "I remember it was late fall or early winter, and before Christmas, possibly 1979 but maybe 1980. I had gone with a friend to a dance hall somewhere out in the country. My friend met a girl and asked me if I would ride back with some other friends that had showed up, in which I agreed. It got really cold that night, and I had left my jacket in my friends car and he had already left. We left the Dance hall and I was tired, cold and sleepy. I fell asleep in the back seat on the way home. I woke up to find that I had no idea where we were, somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. The person in the front passenger seat was playing with a spotlight. I kept telling him to turn it off and roll up the window, that I was cold, and I kept asking where we were, which only returned laughter from the other three in the car. A few minutes later a car came down the road and the idiot in the front seat shined the spotlight on the car. It turned out to be a Game Warden. Here is where all the fun began; not.
The officer made us all get out and searched the car. There was a rifle in the front seat that I wasn't even aware of. The Officer asked the driver to open the trunk, from which the driver responded by claiming he didn't have a key to the trunk. It was a brand new car and it belonged to his mom.
We were subsequently arrested and taken to jail. The officer called the drivers mom and had her come down with a key to open the trunk. Inside the trunk was a deer and either a raccoon or a ringed tail, I don't know which. I was held in jail for 17 hours and then released. I don't remember what the actual term for the charge was, but it was for the deer and the coon or ringed tail. I had to see the Justice of the Peace and was fined $106.00 for each animal. A total of $212.00, there was no probation or any jail time other than the arrest, just the fine. Anyway after explaining all of this to the Sheriff's dept. they told me to contact the J.P.s office, and maybe they can help, which I did. They too said they have no record of it, but from what I had told them and because it was only a fine, that it was most likely just a Class C Misdemeanor.
My questions here are what do I put down if I can't remember the date, or what the actual charge was. I mean I don't know if the charge was for hunting without a license, or possession of an untagged deer and coon or ringed tail, or hunting by spotlight, or hunting after dark. I don't think I even knew what the charge was when I paid the fine. Again, this was nearly thirty years ago. Also I don't remember if I was photographed and finger printed or not.
Should I right a letter explaning it like I did here and include it in the packet? What if this isn't enough information for them and they want more, then what do I do?
Any advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
