Compton, Petition to Seal Domestic Violence Arrest Granted

In 2018, our client was 24 years old and living with a woman in Compton.  The couple were not married, but they had a young girl.  Their relationship was marked by many arguments and financial stress.  Our client suspected that the woman was keenly interested in separating from him and thereafter getting an order that he pay her child support. 

One day, our client returned home from work and saw several Compton Sheriff’s Department police cars outside his home.  He was worried what might have happened to cause them to come to his home.  He walked into the house and was immediately arrested.

Our client was confused by being arrested.  He asked the officers why he was being arrested and they told him, “you know why.  You beat the crap out of your girlfriend.”  The officers then told our client that his girlfriend had a bloody lip and said that he had punched her.

Our client told the offices that this was impossible, as he was at work all day and had just come home.  He told the officers that the woman probably hit herself and was lying and most likely doing this to get an order of sole custody for their daughter and child support.

The officers did not listen and took him to the Compton Sheriffs Police Station near the Compton Courthouse, where he was booked and interviewed further.  He was eventually released after his parents posted a bail bond for $50,000.  When he was released, he was ordered to appear in the Compton Courthouse for his arraignment in about two months.

The couple thereafter reconciled and the woman recanted her story to the Compton Sheriffs.  

No case was filed.

The woman then repeated the same type of thing, the following year, accusing our client of molesting their young daughter.  That claim also resulted in our client being arrested, but again, no charges were filed.

Fast forward to 2024, six years later, and the client calls Greg Hill & Associates.  The client and the woman had separated in 2020 when the woman began dating another man.  

Afterwards, our client had earned an associate of arts degree in administration of justice and a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills in criminal justice.  He wanted to become a Los Angeles County Sheriff, but was rejected and when told why, it was subtly suggested that his arrest record was a determining factor, although this was not explicitly stated.  The Huntington Beach Police Department, that our client had also applied to, were more direct and rejected him while advising him to have the record sealed.

The client then asked about sealing an arrest report.  Greg explained how the process worked, but cautioned that even after sealing, the record of the arrest would remain visible to law enforcement if one applied for employment with law enforcement.  The record of the arrest would otherwise be deleted from his criminal history and invisible to everyone else.

The client said he understood this and asked our office to proceed with a petition to seal his first arrest, the one for domestic violence.  He then retained our office.

Our office then prepared the petition to seal, serving it to the Compton Sheriff’s Department and to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at the Compton Courthouse.  

About four weeks later, Greg received a phone call from a clerk at the Compton Courthouse asking Greg if he would be appearing that same day in court for the hearing on the petition.  Greg was in another courthouse and said he could not appear that day.

The clerk explained that she had inadvertently not sent out notice of the hearing date, which was that day.  The clerk then added that the judge was going to grant the petition, so Greg probably did not need to appear anyways.  Greg then stated he would waive his appearance.

About a week later, our office received the signed order to seal the arrest of our client.  We pdf’d the order and sent it to our client, who was extremely happy with his.

Our office then set about to work on sealing the police report for the alleged child molestation.