Tales from the Trenches

Expunging sex crimes in Indiana

What Sex Crimes Can Be Expunged in Indiana?

Like any category of crime in Indiana, those of a sexual nature cover a broad spectrum. To be considered a “sex offender” is to be lumped into a group with persons who may have forcibly raped their victim, may have lured children into sex…
second chance law

I Was Young, She Was Younger, Can I Ever Have A Second Chance?

Meet “David”, age 32 I had a feeling something bad was going to happen the second I got out of my car. I ignored it. The house where the party was happening was in kind of a run-down neighborhood. It was a wet winter. I remember stepping…
man in dark store

How are You Supposed to Get a Job When They Still Think You're a Thief?

Meet “Oscar”, age 29 and his father, “Jose”, age 51 I discovered my dad was a thief when I was five years old. I remember the day I figured it out. At first he tried to hide it from me, the deodorant, the can of soup, the wool cap…
how to get your life back after a theft conviction

Here is How to Get Your Life Back After a Theft Conviction

Your shoplifting days are over. You haven’t jacked a car in over a decade. You wouldn’t even pick up a candy bar if it fell out of a vending machine. The thief you once were is gone, but the black mark on your record carries on. Felon.…
Black guy stressting and headache

Don’t Worry About Me, I’m NOT Guilty of Murder

Don’t Worry About Me, I’m NOT Guilty of Murder How would you react if someone walked up to you, shook your hand and said, “Hello. I want you to know, no matter what people might say, I didn’t kill anybody.” What’s the first…
second chance law indiana

You Did the Crime, You Did Your Time – 5 Facts About Indiana’s Second Chance Law

You Did the Crime, You Did Your Time – 5 Facts About Indiana’s Second Chance Law Back in the dark ages in Indiana (before July, 2013), it didn’t matter what you did. If you were convicted of a crime it was on your permanent record.…
don't drink and drive

I Shouldn’t Have Offered to Drive Her Home

Meet “Jason”, age 26 I’ll never forget that party after Jenny’s graduation open house. It should have been all happy memories. God, I wish they were. I liked Jenny’s friend Sarah. Sarah was beautiful, and fun. We would go cruising…
Expongument

Want to Erase Your Past? Now You Can in Indiana

Regret is a tough emotion to tackle. We go over the mistakes we made in the past over and over again, and we ask ourselves why we didn’t keep our mouths shut, or say no to that last drink, or stay away from those people. We’ve all made…
Facebook

I.B.S. (Irritable Bruce Syndrome)

I.B.S.  (Irritable Bruce Syndrome) I'll keep this short and sweet.  It seems like every day that I see someone on Facebook trashing some private citizen about some purely personal matter.  Let me just say this:  Doing so says more about…
Snopes

Unfairly Snoped?

Has a Muncie musician/bar owner been unfairly Snoped? I'm not sure I've ever before personally known someone who has been the subject of a Snopes item.  (Snopes.com purports to arbitrate the truth or falsity of various rumors, theories and…
scammers

SCAMMING THE SCAMMERS

The 411 on 419's:  Scamming the scammers. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Like many cliches, this one has truth and wisdom (although if you follow it too rigidly, you'll miss out on some great all-you-can-eat buffets). Who…
texting and driving

TEXTING AND...KNOWING SOMEONE'S DRIVING

TEXTING AND... SOMEONE ELSE’S DRIVING (from crisconner.com) You're texting while driving, you’ve drifted out of your lane, and -- CRASH. Your liability is a no brainer for the person (or estate) who files suit against you.  …