Opinion ID: 1058337
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Commonwealth v. Compton

Text: Kimberly Dawn Compton filed a petition in the Circuit Court of the City of Bristol requesting the expungement of all police and court records concerning a felony charge for abuse and neglect of a child in violation of Code § 18.2-371.1. With regard to the charge, the Bristol Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, without Compton's entering a plea and without finding the evidence sufficient to establish guilt, entered an order stating it was agreed that the district court would take the charge under advisement for six months and Compton would submit a written parenting plan to the court and perform 20 hours of community service to be monitored by the [court service unit]. The order further stated, If at the end of the period and no other adverse reports the case shall be dismissed [without] appearance. Approximately six months later, the district court entered a second order stating, Matter Dismissed. All requirements met. No additional charges. The Commonwealth contested the petition for expungement on the grounds that Compton's charge was not otherwise dismissed as required by Code § 19.2-392.2(A)(2). The Commonwealth argued that by accepting the district court's conditions for dismissal, Compton tacitly admitted that the Commonwealth possessed sufficient evidence to sustain [the] accusation if the matter proceeded to trial, and she therefore was not an innocent person entitled to seek expungement. The circuit court granted the expungement of the police and court records pertaining to the abuse and neglect charge. The court found that the district court, without taking a plea or hearing evidence, took the matter under advisement for six months [without making] findings of fact[ ] sufficient to sustain a conviction [or a] finding of probable cause and then dismissed the felony charge against Compton. The circuit court further found that the continued presence of the charge on her record has created an inability for. . . Compton to find permanent employment in her chosen field, and [she] has been denied several teaching opportunities as a result of the nature of the charge on her criminal record [and] the continued existence and possible dissemination of information relating to the arrest and charges placed against the petitioner have caused, and continue to cause circumstances which constitute a manifest injustice to [Compton]. The Commonwealth appeals the circuit court's judgment, claiming that the circuit court erred in (1) finding that Compton was innocent of the charge, qualifying her dismissal for expungement; (2) holding that taking a case under advisement conditioned upon completion of terms and subsequent dismissal was a case that was `otherwise dismissed' pursuant to . . . Code § 19.2-392.2(A)(2); and (3) finding that the continued existence of the charge on [her] record constitutes manifest injustice. The Commonwealth argues, as it did before the circuit court, that Compton does not have the status of an innocent person for purposes of expungement because the criminal charge was dismissed only upon her satisfaction of a penalty imposed by judicial authority. Such a dismissal, according to the Commonwealth, does not qualify as a charge otherwise dismissed. In response, Compton points out that she did not enter any plea to the criminal charge and that the district court made no findings regarding the sufficiency of the evidence. According to Compton, the district court's order merely reflected the parties' agreement that the charge would be dismissed if she submitted a written parenting plan and completed twenty hours of community service. Compton thus contends that the charge of abuse and neglect was otherwise dismissed under Code § 19.2-392.2(A)(2).