TexasCHLforum.com

hey guys,

as a new member thought id stop by here and make my first post mainly to introduce myself and secondly to ask a question that I have searched an cannot seem to find a good answer for.

First and for most HOWDY! I will be taking my CHL class this upcoming weekend (the 14th) and mailing my paper work shortly after that.

My question.

When i was much younger (16-17) I got a ticket/misdemeanor for criminal mischief, now looking around in the counties that I lived in at the time (Dallas/Collin) I cannot find a single record of this actually occuring.

Dallas Collin Court Search http://www.dallascounty.org/criminalBac ... search.jsp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Collin County Search http://www.co.collin.tx.us/rsp-bin/pbkr125.pgm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What is the best method to search this? As the application asks for "Exact date" of offense and to be honest I dont even remember the month it happend as it was just a ticket and a day in court, pay the fine and nothing else heard. Could being a minor and this being "Sealed" stop me from being able to find it? and if so how can I get this?

Any input would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance for your assistance.

Welcome to our forum sir.

There's lots to learn here.

I doubt that your youthful transgression will stop your CHL.
Give them the date with a caveat "approximately" with as much
data as you can remember. Let DPS do their conviction-finding magic.

What gun(s) do you own? What will you carry?

SIA

Welcome to the forum.

If you weren't taken into custody and fingerprinted, you can forget about it.

I'm guessing here that a citation-only criminal mischief charge was something like bashing a mailbox. That would be a class C misdemeanor that is not a disqualification for a CHL.

Juvenile and citation-only offenses usually disappear after a few years. If you really want, you can get a letter from the clerk of the criminal court, saying that they have no record of your conviction.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote: If you really want, you can get a letter from the clerk of the criminal court, saying that they have no record of your conviction.

This is exactly what I did. I had an arrest when I was 17 for trespassing (we went exploring in an abandoned hotel). The County Clerk pulled up a search and found no record of it. I got two CERTIFIED copies of the report showing "No Records Found". It only cost $10 and maybe 8 minutes of time.

I haven't mailed in my application yet (since I applied online and have not received the packet yet, and I also haven't taken the class yet either), but I did declare the arrest on the DPS online form, so I just feel more comfortable including the "No Records Found" printout in with my application when I mail it.

It was very easy to get, and I'd rather prevent the hassle that would be caused if I did not get the printout and then DPS asked for it...

I also had some Class C misdemeanor mischief in my younger days, a public intoxication arrest outside of a bar in college (over 20 years ago). I spent the night in the drunk tank, and paid a $50 fine, and it was a class C misdemeanor. Embarrassing now, but I was immature and foolish.

What I did was call the arresting police department and court clerk where the arrest took place, and find out what the process was for requesting records. I told them I was applying for my Texas CHL, and needed documentation on the arrest, even though it was a misdemeanor many years ago. In both cases, they told me I must submit my request in writing, so after obtaining the correct address, I sent a typed letter to the arresting police department and the court clerk of the court where my case was handled, giving them my name, SSN, driver's license #, etc....and requested that they forward any and all documentation on the incident, on official letter head, certified or notarized if at all possible. The police found part of the arrest report but the court had no records found, and I received a letter notarized by the court clerk saying there were no records found.

I was able to get the exact date from the arrest report, and I filled out the rest as best as I could remember, and I included the documentation and mailed it off. Twenty-four days after I mailed my application, I received my plastic in the mail, and my application wasn't held up a bit.

I'm glad I called before sending the letters, because I was able to put "Attention: So-And-So in Records", and I got a pretty quick response back. I also didn't have to do the back-in-forth via USPS because I forgot to include something in the request. Your mileage may vary, of course, but hopefully this helps you get the documentation you need.

Welcome to the forum, and good luck!

Thanks for all the advise/info guys! I will be contacting the county clerk and asking for these records.


1) Yes I will carry (Once I am CHL'ed of course )
2) Glock 23 (.40 S&W)

luckenbach, first of all welcome to the forum! As you can tell there is a wealth of information here right at your fingertips and a wonderful bunch of guys & gals to help you on your journey.

SeamusTX as usual gives excellent insight. He's totally right on.

One thing I found out is, if there are any 'misdeeds' going back as long as you can remember, DPS wants to know that. And they want YOU to tell THEM about it. It's called "self-declaring". And be able to back up your statements with certified copies from the courts. Total honesty and openness will get you what you deserve.

I had to tell them about my 'misdeeds', and I submitted my explanations with certified copies from the courts of EVERY infraction for the past 30 years or so. I ended up typing out 2 pages of explanations(in landscape form) of the 5 infractions I had. And submitted both certified copies of the court records, but also certified copies of the cities background checks where the infractions occurred. The thing that frustrated me the most was trying to figure out exactly WHERE to go to get those certified copies. And once again, SeamusTX was instrumental in steering me in the right direction.

In closing, I want you to know WE are here to help. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Look forward to your future posts!

Well guys, just wanted to provide an update,


Plano court house will provide your records for free, Dallas its $5 for Misdemeanor and $5 for Felony and McKinney is also free.

Well any ways I took my CHL and I am good to go!! I need to type up my sheet for employment as it changed a few times over the last 5 years... but it takes a page or so :(

Will be mailing this Monday and will keep y'all updated.