There are a lot of bad things about being arrested for domestic violence. No-contact orders can tear apart your family; legal and bail bond fees can bankrupt you; the stress of worrying about getting sent back to jail can cause serious depression.
On top of everything else there is also the fact that once you are arrested it creates a publically available record.
South Carolina law specifies that the history of an arrest, even before going to court, is a public record. This means that within hours of being arrested your case information may be published on publically available web-sites, and reportable by SLED as part of your official criminal history (rap sheet).
If you are in the middle of applying for a job, or go through any employment screening, that your job will know about your arrest. Your arrest can also be advertised in mugshot type papers (usually sold in gas stations), or local media.
Legally, most employers are allowed to terminate an employee for being arrested. An arrest (even when the case is pending), is also a good reason for most employers to also pass on a job applicant.
The only way to remove the record of a domestic violence arrest is to have the case dismissed or be found not-guilty at trial. Once this happens the arrest can be removed from your record through a process called expungement.
Contact our attorneys today to discuss your case.