T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio staff members at Webster Hall in Grace Presbyterian Church provide free legal service to Belmont County residents. From left are Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio Secretary Janel McGown, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio volunteer Alec Lucas, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio Secretary Jaime McCullough, and Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio Support Staff member Daniell Coleman.

MARTINS FERRY — Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio hosted a free legal clinic at Webster Hall in Grace Presbyterian Church recently.

The clinic was to expunge and seal the criminal records of residents for no cost.

“We do these clinics all across our service areas. The Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio covers a 32-county area in southeast and central Ohio,” Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio Managing Editor Baylee Butler said. “We do these around our service area periodically, we try to do about one a month.”

She added that the purpose of the free clinics is to be able to help residents who may be having difficulties with either employment or housing due to their criminal record.

“We’re just trying to seal and expunge criminal records for people that are hindering them for them to either get employment or find housing or things that cause them barriers in their daily life and their ability for them to move on from their criminal record,” she said. “Today we have people here who have had records as old as 15 years. Primarily we’re doing petty theft and drug possessions that are old.”

She added that every individual attempting to get their record expunged and sealed has done everything the courts have asked them to do such as probation, paying fees, being incarcerated, and anything else that was required for them to complete their sentencing.

“We have attorneys here, both our attorneys and volunteer attorneys who are going through the criminal record application process with the clients,” Butler said. “The clients are walking out with a fully filled out application to seal or expunge their criminal records that they are eligible to have sealed or expunged.”

She added that once the application is completed, the individual will then take the application to the Belmont County Courthouse where Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan will determine if he is going to object to the resident’s criminal record being sealed or expunged. Butler said she rarely sees a prosecutor object to an individual who followed all of the proper steps to get their criminal record expunged or sealed.

“Usually they don’t object unless there’s something like a really lengthy record or a reason for the prosecutor being concerned that they’re going to be a repeat offender,” Butler said. “Then a judge will then decide if they want to have a hearing and to just kind of bring the person in and hear how it’s affecting that person’s life. Depending on the county, sometimes the judge will sign it and allow the criminal record to be expunged or sealed.”

She added that the process roughly takes 90 days from filling out the application to when a judge will make a decision.

In addition to the monthly clinics, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio also does cases of this nature in its office, and Butler recommends anyone interested contact its office at 614-221-7201.