Last week Stephanie and Kelly answered phones for Line 9, which is a 9 News program that allows people to call in to speak to experts. Line 9 fields a wide array of topics, including medical and legal questions. Channel 9 published the Line 9 schedule.
On Wednesday last week, Stephanie and Kelly manned the phone lines along with some other attorneys with the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar. We hope the information provided was helpful. We received good questions about many areas of law. We thought we would share with you some of the questions and answers that were given.
We received quite a few calls about sealing of records. Only certain types of cases are eligible for sealing. Whether a set of records can be sealed depends on the original charges, the agreed upon plea bargain and how much time has passed since. Regardless, sealing is not automatic. A separate request and sometimes a separate hearing must be completed before records are sealed. If the records are sealed, the order to seal the records must be submitted to various agencies so that the agencies know they must seal the records. Once records are sealed, under most circumstances, the law allows you to behave as though the case does not exist.
We also received a few calls from people who wish to press charges against someone. A victim’s cooperation is helpful in a criminal investigation, but a victim does not the authority to press charges. The prosecutor’s office is responsible for deciding whether to file charges and/or whether to dismiss charges once a case has been filed. If you believe you are the victim of a crime, you should first report it to your local law enforcement agency. If the agency is not as responsive as you would like, you may also contact your local prosecutor to see whether the prosecution is willing to complete their own investigation.
We hope to work with 9 News’ Line 9 in the future!
