Sex offender needs help finding a job
I am a 26 year old convicted
sex offender. I did not do this crime (I'm sure you hear that all the time...I know...it gets old, but it's true), but under the advice of my lawyer, I took a plea bargain. Now, it is at this point that I must say that I know there is no expunging or pardoning because I admitted to it....BUT, it was only a misdemeanor conviction when I was 19. I was in Virginia at the time, and my accuser was my 4 year old great niece. I'd never been in any trouble before that. I was in college and my girlfriend literally lived right down the street, so I had no reason to do this, but My lawyer told me that no matter what, they would believe my great niece, because she was sooo convincing and had everyone fooled. ANYWAY, I just wanted to get back to college with no problems.
September 9, 2004 I was convicted of Sexual Battery misdemeanor (it was dropped down from Aggravated Sexual Battery which is a felony.) I was sentenced to 1 year, but that year was suspended due to the fact that I had no other anything on my record. I was eventually kicked out of school because they found out. I had one year to go.
In 2007 I was working for a good company when I received my next charge. "Failure to register as a
Sex Offender" misdemeanor. This was because the person who did my DNA and fingerprinting did not send it to the office in Richmond like he was supposed to. I did as they asked, went to the station, waited for like 45 minutes, got my picture taken, fingerprinted, DNA swabbed, and reconfirmed my address and info, yet they still charged me with it because he didn't do his job. It was my responsibility to make sure the documents got to Richmond. BUT I CAN'T GO INTO THE POLICE OFFICE AND DO ANYTHING!!! Since I was stupid enough not to remember the officer's name, it was my fault and I had no choice but to plea. In January of 2008, I was working at a very good job that I loved. ABSOLUTELY LOVED. They knew my history and still hired me. I was employee of the month twice!! BUT that stopped when I get a call in January from the state trooper, telling me that I missed a registration. (I didn't know I had because I just registered.) They tried to send me another on in the mail in December of 2007, but because of my work schedule, I never got the notice. EVERY SINGLE TIME before this, they were able to leave the letter, but for this one, they couldn't without MY signature. My mother signed for all others, but she couldn't this time. The odd thing is, she NEVER got notice of there was something to even be signed. She didn't go out much at all, usually in all day long and she would've heard the doorbell...nothing. I was able to prove that the letter never reached my hands, but they said the post office TRIED to notify me. It was sent back to Richmond and once again, it was my fault. I now have a felony for a stupid piece of paper not being sent to them. I moved to South Carolina in 2008 with my sister after doing 60 days in jail, and things are now stale. I can't find work. I freelance mechanic and do other odd-jobs, but that's few and very far between. I have tried so many different things, but the one thing I can't do is lie about this. I know I have the experience but it's this damned history that's killing me. I won't lie because if they find out, it's worse. I'm just trying to do the right thing and I need a job to further that pursuit. ANYTHING and I do mean ANYTHING you can do would be helpful. Even if all you can do is respond to this letter. It is more than I could hope for. I am a very nice man. I would never hurt anyone...I find myself giving what little money i have to the homeless because I can't stand to see people suffer. I have a fiance' who is doing all she can to support me and get some legal resolve to this nightmare. We know it will be a long process, but we are willing to do whatever it takes. I see on your site that you specialize at finding felons jobs. Now I am not asking for a miracle, because this is a sex offense, not DUI or bad checks. I know it's the worse kind of felony. But please help. I do truly appreciate just the time you took to read this. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Tre
Felon with sex offense needs job search advice
Hello Tre,
Unfortunately there are no easy answers here. You have an advantage over most
ex-offenders and
felons looking for jobs. You have a marketable skill. With a mechanics trade you could find work in an independent garage. Most small businesses do not do background checks because they can be expensive. When it is time to complete an application, you may opt to leave blank any questions relating to criminal records. If the question does come on an interview, be honest but, as I suggest to
ex-offenders and
felons, simply acknowledge the charge but don't spend a lot of time talking about it. Concentrate on your skills as a mechanic.
You will be able to get
job search help at your local One-stop Career Center. There you will find a list of services that can help a
felon find work. There are also counselors there who have experience working with ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs. There you will also find a list of available jobs in your area,
You can find the nearest One-stop Career Center here:
www.servicelocator.org
I hope this helps.
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Felon with sex offense needs job search advice
