Missouri Makes Stealing and Three Other Offenses Eligible for Expungement

Governor Mike Parsons signed S.B.1 on July 9, 2019, which makes four new offenses eligible for expungement: Stealing, Property Damage 1^st Degree, Possession of a Forging Instrumentality, and Fraudulent Use of a Credit-Debit Device.  The big one is Stealing, which accounts for far more offenses than the other three combined.  The bill was sponsored by State Senator Kiki Curtis, who said that the bill’s intent was “to give some relief to those who have made mistakes in the past, have paid their debt to society, have lived on the straight and narrow, and deserve a second chance.”  The new law is expected to help thousands clear their name who were not previously eligible.

The new law revises an overhaul of Missouri’s expungement statutes that took effect in 2018.  Before then, very few people with a criminal record in Missouri qualified for an expungement, and the waiting periods were much longer.  But the 2018 expungement law makes most non-violent offenses, including felonies, eligible for expungement – more than 1,900 offenses in all.  And it greatly reduces the waiting periods to seven years from completion of the sentence for felonies and three years for misdemeanors.  With all of the recent changes in Missouri’s expungement statutes, people who need an expungement should consult with a qualified Missouri expungement attorney even if they have previously been told they are not eligible.

Stealing, including Shoplifting, might be the most common criminal offense in Missouri after Driving While Intoxicated (“DWI”) and Possession of a Controlled Substance.  At Rose Legal Services in St. Louis, we have helped many clients obtain an expungement, but we have had to turn away many deserving people because of a single Stealing or Shoplifting offense on their record.  With the latest revisions to Missouri’s expungement laws, this will change, and we will be pleased to help clients permanently remove Stealing and Shoplifting charges from their records.

If you need to expunge a criminal record in Missouri, contact St Louis criminal defense attorney, Rose Legal Services at (314) 462-0200 for a free consultation today. If you have been denied employment because of a criminal record, plan to apply for a professional license but are concerned about something in your past, or just want to clear your name, we can help – and now we can help even if the offense you need to expunge is Stealing or Shoplifting.  Experienced St. Louis expungement lawyer W. Scott Rose will tell you in your initial consultation whether you are eligible for an expungement (based on the facts you provide), and if you are not, we will not accept your case or collect a fee.