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Expungement fair giving Michiganders a fresh start
Ronald Wheeler had a felony firearm conviction from around the time he was around 17 or 18 years old. The case was one he fought all the way to the state Supreme Court and was able to get 4 charges completely thrown out which have plagued him ever since.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Michigan man who suffered a felony is now getting a taste of freedom after his convictions were expunged by the Michigan Supreme Court.
The backstory:
Ronald Wheeler had a felony firearm conviction from around the time he was around 17 or 18 years old. The case was one he fought all the way to the state Supreme Court and was able to get 4 charges completely thrown out which have plagued him ever since.
"I had my firearm rights restored, I’ve been able to move and prosper in business like never before. It’s been amazing," he said. "I can go to Canada. I can go travel different places I wasn't able to go. It’s been a life-changing event for me all over."
Big picture view:
Cooley Law School has an expungement fair coming up March 21 in Lansing and was put on with the help of ‘Safe and Just Michigan.' The ‘Clean Slate Program’ manager is expecting several more fairs in the Detroit area.
"The goal of any expungement fair that we do is essentially try to get you 90% there. So that even if you don't have a lawyer or a legal service assisting, you can complete the remaining 10%," said. "One of the biggest things we run into is some people don’t know what’s on their criminal background check. There are certain felony offenses that can’t be expunged those are generally more serious offenses."
Dig deeper:
Certain criminal sexual conduct cases, traffic offenses causing injury or death, and offenses that carry life sentences, for example, may be excluded.
