TexasCHLforum.com

I'm posting this for anyone that might have been arrested and is considering getting a CHL. There is a bit more involved than for the honest folk that have never been to jail. Of course if you have a felony conviction you are out, but a class A misdemeanor is acceptable if it's over five years old.

When I was 19 (now 36) I was arrested while cruising Cooper street in Arlington. I'm sure you older dudes remember cruising and the cops always hanging around looking for any excuse to hassle you (probably for good reason). I got pulled over for making an illegal left turn and the LEO saw a nightstick in my car. Of course i didn't even know it was illegal to carry such a thing when I was a kid. My mom actually told me to do it because I had a few incidences with one including a broken nose. No, I didn't instigate it or any of the other ones. I used to be a bit smaller and less mean...so I got picked on.

So I went to jail that night, case was dismissed and did one day of community service that consisted of putting together instruction manuals in some place in Fort Worth. It was actually kind of fun and interesting, the community service that is. Everyone else in there seemed to be there for DWI's.

For those not in the know...this is a class A misdemeanor...just one step from a felony. That's right...carrying a piece of wood in your car is almost a felony. One of the cops even asked why I didn't just carry a baseball bat around. Pretty weird how legislation works. Anyway, it was the only time I was arrested.

On the CHL stuff that you have to send in you have to list every time you were arrested, whether convicted or not. Then they want to see the court papers that show the "full disposition" of the arrest. This happened so long ago, I didn't know what the outcome would be, but this is it. Basically, just call the courthouse in the county that the arrest happened in and request the documents. I was able to mail in the request to Tarrant County, but you might have to go in person to a smaller county. I haven't gotten the documents back, but expect an extra couple of weeks of waiting (at least) before you can even send in the CHL stuff. I took the course about three weeks ago and still can't send in my stuff.

So it's a minor setback, but still ticks me off since the arrest happened so long ago and no conviction. I'm glad I never got caught, um...never did anything else that might have been worse!

govnor wrote:I'm posting this for anyone that might have been arrested and is considering getting a CHL. There is a bit more involved than for the honest folk that have never been to jail. Of course if you have a felony conviction you are out, but a class A misdemeanor is acceptable if it's over five years old.

When I was 19 (now 36) I was arrested while cruising Cooper street in Arlington. I'm sure you older dudes remember cruising and the cops always hanging around looking for any excuse to hassle you (probably for good reason). I got pulled over for making an illegal left turn and the LEO saw a nightstick in my car. Of course i didn't even know it was illegal to carry such a thing when I was a kid. My mom actually told me to do it because I had a few incidences with one including a broken nose. No, I didn't instigate it or any of the other ones. I used to be a bit smaller and less mean...so I got picked on.

So I went to jail that night, case was dismissed and did one day of community service that consisted of putting together instruction manuals in some place in Fort Worth. It was actually kind of fun and interesting, the community service that is. Everyone else in there seemed to be there for DWI's.

For those not in the know...this is a class A misdemeanor...just one step from a felony. That's right...carrying a piece of wood in your car is almost a felony. One of the cops even asked why I didn't just carry a baseball bat around. Pretty weird how legislation works. Anyway, it was the only time I was arrested.

On the CHL stuff that you have to send in you have to list every time you were arrested, whether convicted or not. Then they want to see the court papers that show the "full disposition" of the arrest. This happened so long ago, I didn't know what the outcome would be, but this is it. Basically, just call the courthouse in the county that the arrest happened in and request the documents. I was able to mail in the request to Tarrant County, but you might have to go in person to a smaller county. I haven't gotten the documents back, but expect an extra couple of weeks of waiting (at least) before you can even send in the CHL stuff. I took the course about three weeks ago and still can't send in my stuff.

So it's a minor setback, but still ticks me off since the arrest happened so long ago and no conviction. I'm glad I never got caught, um...never did anything else that might have been worse!

If the case was dismissed, you were not convicted of a Class A misdemeanor. If you did community service, the case was not dismissed.

It is much faster to just go to the County Clerk's office and get the papers personally.

I hope you get your papers soon so you can get your application mailed off!

txinvestigator wrote: It is much faster to just go to the County Clerk's office and get the papers personally.

If they still have the records. For example, Denton county court keeps no records prior to 1989, so if you were convicted of anything prior to 1989, you won't be able to obtain a copy of your "final disposition." All you can do is get a statement from the court saying that they don't have records that far back. Not sure how far back Tarrant county's records go.

Heh, lucky me. I think it was 1990 when it happened and they said they have a record.

As far as being dismissed or not dismissed. I'm not sure, but that's what they said when my fiance called them. I'm with you that I shouldn't have done community service if it was in fact dismissed. I guess I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks...hopefully.

govnor wrote: I guess I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks...hopefully.

You know, you can go right to Tarrant County court house and get a copy of your disposition in less than an hour. Why wait weeks?

You know, you can go right to Tarrant County court house and get a copy of your disposition in less than an hour. Why wait weeks?

Yeah, I know that, but I own a business. I have absolutely no time to go do something like that, not even an extra couple of hours. In fact today, Sunday is my only day off and sometimes I work on Sunday too. If they were open today I would go do it, but government offices are on banker's hours...

govnor wrote:Yeah, I know that, but I own a business. I have absolutely no time to go do something like that, not even an extra couple of hours.

So much for calling in sick one day.

When I was 19 (now 36) I was arrested while cruising Cooper street in Arlington. I'm sure you older dudes remember cruising and the cops always hanging around looking for any excuse to hassle you (probably for good reason).

I'm 48 now and remember Cooper street and all the cruising. Back then it was a two lane blacktop all the way to Mansfield. No mall or anything in that area, just open land with a mom & pop store every so often. Had some good times out there.

Heh, yeah when I was going out there it was still a two lane all the way to Mansfield. That's where I lived and graduated highschool from. When I was 16 we were still cruising on the street and then they made it move to the parking lot across from UTA. That's actually where I was arrested. I should have known better than to cruise in a parking lot!

I always wonder what the kids do for fun these days. Cruising was something free to do that was fun. There was some drinking, but I never saw any drugs. I guess people have more money now anyway. At least when I drive around Plano/Southlake/Colleyville and see Hummers with $10k rims in the highschool parking lot that says it all. I know it ain't the teachers driving them...

govnor wrote: I always wonder what the kids do for fun these days. Cruising was something free to do that was fun. There was some drinking, but I never saw any drugs. I guess people have more money now anyway.

They cruise the internets instead.

govnor wrote: At least when I drive around Plano/Southlake/Colleyville and see Hummers with $10k rims in the highschool parking lot that says it all. I know it ain't the teachers driving them...

Yes, it's sad. Giving a Hummer to a high-schooler is so foolish it's beyond my capability to express. Not even going into the huge waste of money, those things are utterly lethal weapons with poor visibility.

They still cruise State Line in Texarkana. On Fridays and Saturdays from 9 onward, it's pretty crowded.

In my "yute", we called it "dragging Main". We had a nice little route in Mena, Arkiesaw: Fred's parking lot on the south end of Main, and the courthouse parking lot on the north end. Make about three slow laps, then cruise out to the Sonic, then repeat. When they built Wal Mart it threw everything off. They started sitting in groups in the WM parking lot instead.

It was either Genessee Street in Waukegan, or Foster Beach in Chicago.
The cops were pretty cool even with a little racing. More than a little money, and a few pink slips changed hands..

We had a nice little route in Mena, Arkiesaw

I've got some family in Mena. Probably no one you'd know, but it is a pretty place. It's kind of sad to me that the cruisin' days are over. At least in the city. But with all the gangs and drugs around these days I just don't see it going on anymore. Someone would get shot by some gang banger and it would end it for everyone...even the small towns.

govnor wrote:

We had a nice little route in Mena, Arkiesaw

I've got some family in Mena. Probably no one you'd know, but it is a pretty place.

I'm actually from Hatfield, but we "went to town" in Mena. My mother still lives in Hatfield, and my sister and her two (grown) kids live in Mena. Got various cousins scattered about there, too.

but we "went to town" in Mena.

The family I have there moved there to get away from the city and all that is associated with it. So they didn't grow up there or anything. That's what I want to do...get out. I just don't have the money to do it yet.