Hello all,
I had an arrest in 1991, which was dismissed, I’m not sure if that is the correct terminology. Several people were arrested together, myself and a few others were released after the ones who actually did the crime confessed, so I was arrested and fingerprinted, but then released, no court appearance or anything like that. I reported this on my SF86 and I explained all the details I remember to the investigator who did my interview. I had a different NBIB investigator contact me yesterday asking for more information on the arresting agency, or any other details, as he was unable to locate the record and under my fingerprints it is listed as “no disposition.”
About 10 years ago, while working to clean my record, I attempted to locate information to have the disposition listed. I contacted every number I could find for that city—the court, the police department, the (county) sheriff office, etc., and nobody could assist me and I was told my record of the case was not able to be located by one office, and that there was no record by another office.
So, my question is, what will happen now? Will I get denied a clearance for not being able to produce paperwork that I do not have, and/or that the court can not provide? It was 1991, I have spent a great deal of time trying to recall more specifics for the investigator, but I honestly have provided every single piece of information and detail that I can remember.
Have any of the investigators here had a situation like this, and if so, how do you proceed when old records can’t be located?
Thank you
You will be fine . . . assuming that this was a minor case. A relatively small crime. If the investigator can’t find information, it’s not a surprise that you can’t either. This was almost 30 years ago. They have to do their due diligence and can ask you to do the same but it it’s not there, it’s not there.
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Thanks, Ed. I’m not sure this would be considered a small crime, it was a felony burglary charge. I was one of the people in the vehicle and not one who stole, but I was certainly in the wrong place, with the wrong people, doing wrong stuff, which I totally admitted to and explained as much as I could remember to the initial investigator. Obviously, it isn’t something I’m proud of, and I have no valid excuse beyond being young and not using sound judgement in who I associated with at that time in my life. It’s embarrassing, to say the least, and I could barely sleep last night not knowing what the lack of being able to produce paperwork that I don’t have will do to my clearance process. Is there a guideline when records aren’t able to be located through a court? The investigator seemed kind of frustrated with me yesterday when I gave him all the information I had, which is the same information I gave the initial investigator, but I don’t have any other information that I can provide.
You not having all of the information makes the investigator’s job harder. Hence the frustration.
The investigator has more tools and knowledge on how to retrieve records than a layperson does. If you can’t find the records after doing as much due diligence, than you have done everything you can.