Ohio Dismissed & Expunged petty theft charge

Sorry for the long post just wanting some advice.

In 2022 I was charged (not convicted) with a petty theft from Walmart I was not arrested/cuffed or anything I was questioned at my residence showed police the items I purchased let them search my vehicle was very cooperative me and the officers thought it was a mistake I was subpoenaed a month later I was accused of switching tags and or underscaning item(s) not showing the greeter my receipt. all false accusations. I obtained a good lawyer and the case was drawn out over a year long. Walmarts loss prevention never submitted proof of the accusations despite the subpoena from my lawyer and the court for all evidence etc it was my word against theirs. Towards the end of the case I was offered a diversion program and I sat on the decision for a while and we decided to wait for the “evidence” that was never provided I didn’t want to wait any longer the situation was extremely stressful for me! I want to add that this is small town living and the judge/ sheriff department has contracts with stores like Walmart so I always felt they were on their side I decided to take the diversion program offer, completed everything that was needed but the judge closed and dismissed the case before the next hearing because Walmart failed to provide proof. The case was dismissed and expunged in my favor but I’m severely worried this and family history of drug dealers/ addicts/ hard criminals is going to greatly effect me getting hired I’ve been accepted in an academy (self sponsored) and start in April. A career in law enforcement has been calling me for the better part of 10 years. What’s your opinion?

Posted Feb 15, 2026, 8:41 PM UTC

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