Top Law Schools

I'm currently filling out my UVA application and came to the Character and Fitness questions and was unsure what to do. The specific wording is as follows:

2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted of any offense, excluding minor traffic or parking violations? Violations involving alcohol, damage to property, injury to person(s), and/or reckless driving do NOT constitute "minor" violations.

I'm already disclosing my two Underage Possession charges that were plead deferred disposition and dismissed later The main question I have relates to the only driving infraction I have received.

I was alone driving back to school from a concert at 2 A.M. I was falling asleep at the wheel, and thankfully a cop stopped me, but he charged me with Reckless Driving. Virginia allows Reckless Driving (Class 1 Misdemeanor) to be plead down to Improper Driving (a traffic violation) in instances of lesser culpability, which I did. So since I was only charged with reckless, never arrested for it, and plead guilty to a traffic violation, do I need to disclose that here?

And I realize it's better to play it safe probably- I'm just stressing the details at this point.

JMUFranco wrote:I'm currently filling out my UVA application and came to the Character and Fitness questions and was unsure what to do. The specific wording is as follows:

2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted of any offense, excluding minor traffic or parking violations? Violations involving alcohol, damage to property, injury to person(s), and/or reckless driving do NOT constitute "minor" violations.

I'm already disclosing my two Underage Possession charges that were plead deferred disposition and dismissed later The main question I have relates to the only driving infraction I have received.

I was alone driving back to school from a concert at 2 A.M. I was falling asleep at the wheel, and thankfully a cop stopped me, but he charged me with Reckless Driving. Virginia allows Reckless Driving (Class 1 Misdemeanor) to be plead down to Improper Driving (a traffic violation) in instances of lesser culpability, which I did. So since I was only charged with reckless, never arrested for it, and plead guilty to a traffic violation, do I need to disclose that here?

And I realize it's better to play it safe probably- I'm just stressing the details at this point.

Have you ever been arrested or.... You have been arrested for it so disclose

johngreen wrote:

JMUFranco wrote:I'm currently filling out my UVA application and came to the Character and Fitness questions and was unsure what to do. The specific wording is as follows:

2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted of any offense, excluding minor traffic or parking violations? Violations involving alcohol, damage to property, injury to person(s), and/or reckless driving do NOT constitute "minor" violations.

I'm already disclosing my two Underage Possession charges that were plead deferred disposition and dismissed later The main question I have relates to the only driving infraction I have received.

I was alone driving back to school from a concert at 2 A.M. I was falling asleep at the wheel, and thankfully a cop stopped me, but he charged me with Reckless Driving. Virginia allows Reckless Driving (Class 1 Misdemeanor) to be plead down to Improper Driving (a traffic violation) in instances of lesser culpability, which I did. So since I was only charged with reckless, never arrested for it, and plead guilty to a traffic violation, do I need to disclose that here?

And I realize it's better to play it safe probably- I'm just stressing the details at this point.

Have you ever been arrested or.... You have been arrested for it so disclose

It's arguable whether being stopped and charged counts as being arrested.

Call UVA and ask them.

When in doubt just disclose it. That's not going to hold you back.

esse est percipi wrote:If you were put in handcuffs by the police but not actually taken into custody, that would not constitute as arrest.

[citation needed]

midwest17 wrote:

esse est percipi wrote:If you were put in handcuffs by the police but not actually taken into custody, that would not constitute as arrest.

[citation needed]

Badly.