As a felon and with any record plus ADHD he has absolutely zero chance if being in the Army

Anonymous wrote:Jail isn't that bad. It's a wakeup call. Don't bend over backwards to avoid it.

Oh, it certainly can be "that bad."

These are all questions for your lawyer.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, your adult child sounds really bad. I don’t understand. Why is he unmedicated? Why is he still drinking? He hit another persons vehicle and fled the seen without being sober? His brain is f’ed. He needs jail, sorry.

I strongly encourage OP to push for consistent meds, but I assume the young man isn't capable of complying, or suffers from serious side effects. My kid with severe ADHD could not reach his optimum dose of medication because it killed his appetite completely, and he became dangerously underweight. He literally wasn't eating. I would force a protein drink down his throat, but it was hell for him - all foods made him nauseated. He managed school on half the dose of Adderall he should have been on and now in college doesn't really take his meds except during finals, where he doesn't eat for a week.

I hope he can find a medication that works for him, OP. And no drinking, obviously.

Jail isn't that bad. It's a wakeup call. Don't bend over backwards to avoid it.

Honestly, your adult child sounds really bad. I don’t understand. Why is he unmedicated? Why is he still drinking? He hit another persons vehicle and fled the seen without being sober? His brain is f’ed. He needs jail, sorry.

A military recruiter called my 17 year old at home one day to feel him out, and as soon as he said he had ADHD and was on meds, the call ended politely.

The last thing this type of person needs is a gun. I hope the Army rejects him.

OP here, thanks. Yes, same lawyer. Thanks for your insights, very helpful.

Anonymous wrote:He is very fortunate that the felony grand larceny charge was dropped and it was the misdemeanor charge that was deferred. It probably won't be deferred anymore, given that it is a "further issue." He will likely be sentenced, and depending on how the judge feels about the "issue" that came up being a hit and run could serve jail time on the petit larceny.

I hope he has a good lawyer. It sounds like he does -- the lawyer on the larceny definitely set him up for success before by doing all of the right things. Is the same lawyer representing him on the hit and run in court in April? If DC gets sober and throws himself on the mercy of the court with the "alcohol made me do all of it and now I'm sober" argument, it might work. It might not. But getting sober can only help, not hurt. And clearly he needs to do it anyway. There is also, depending on the judge and resources, the potential for rehab/treatment as opposed to jail.

But DC and you should prepare yourselves that there is real potential for jail time on either/both charges at this point. And when judges defer and tell someone to stay out of trouble and come back in a year -- it's a pretty big problem when the defendant didn't stay out of trouble.

I would also suggest that you open your eyes -- your DS did not steal something that resulted in a grand larceny charge "on a dare" because he "thought it would be funny." I'd be willing to bet a large amount he'd stolen plenty before.

As far as the military goes, a felony hit and run conviction would most certainly keep him out of the military. Hopefully that can be plead down to a misdemeanor of some sort -- but if anyone was hurt or there was significant property damage, that might not be a possibility. Two misdemeanors, the petit larceny and whatever you can hopefully plead the hit and run down to, might not keep him out of the military -- but it could. Especially since both will be considered character problems.

Anonymous wrote:I’m
Sorry OP I know this is hard.

The military will take him
But it’s not the answer he will just get worse the pressure will be too much particularly with the new head. .

No. Unlikely at this point.

He is very fortunate that the felony grand larceny charge was dropped and it was the misdemeanor charge that was deferred. It probably won't be deferred anymore, given that it is a "further issue." He will likely be sentenced, and depending on how the judge feels about the "issue" that came up being a hit and run could serve jail time on the petit larceny.

I hope he has a good lawyer. It sounds like he does -- the lawyer on the larceny definitely set him up for success before by doing all of the right things. Is the same lawyer representing him on the hit and run in court in April? If DC gets sober and throws himself on the mercy of the court with the "alcohol made me do all of it and now I'm sober" argument, it might work. It might not. But getting sober can only help, not hurt. And clearly he needs to do it anyway. There is also, depending on the judge and resources, the potential for rehab/treatment as opposed to jail.

But DC and you should prepare yourselves that there is real potential for jail time on either/both charges at this point. And when judges defer and tell someone to stay out of trouble and come back in a year -- it's a pretty big problem when the defendant didn't stay out of trouble.

I would also suggest that you open your eyes -- your DS did not steal something that resulted in a grand larceny charge "on a dare" because he "thought it would be funny." I'd be willing to bet a large amount he'd stolen plenty before.

As far as the military goes, a felony hit and run conviction would most certainly keep him out of the military. Hopefully that can be plead down to a misdemeanor of some sort -- but if anyone was hurt or there was significant property damage, that might not be a possibility. Two misdemeanors, the petit larceny and whatever you can hopefully plead the hit and run down to, might not keep him out of the military -- but it could. Especially since both will be considered character problems.

I know it’s hard because it’s your child, OP. But your child had some bad things, and because he promised he was turning his life around, a judge agreed to not punish him if he could just behave for a year. He didn’t last six months. Clearly he is not turning his life around.

Is the ADHD diagnosed? Between that and the criminal record, the Army might not take him, to be honest.

The prospects of his legal trajectory are going to depend on the judge, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does jail time.

I’m
Sorry OP I know this is hard.

The military will take him
But it’s not the answer he will just get worse the pressure will be too much particularly with the new head. .

My 19 YO DS is in hot water and I need some legal insights and advice. He has ADHD (unmedicated) and has struggled with getting in trouble since about 14 due to his impulsivity - sneaking out, vaping, truancy, etc. We tried everything with consequences and he’s been seeing a variety of different therapists for about 5 years now. He graduated from HS last June and has been studying at NVCC.

Last April, age 18, he was arrested for felony grand larceny and misdemeanor petit larceny. Was hanging out with friends at Tyson’s, drinking alcohol, thought it would be funny to swipe some items based on a dare. We hired a good lawyer and followed his advice re: volunteer hours, theft course, letters of rec, etc. In July, the judge agreed to drop the felony and deferred his misdemeanor for one year pending no further issues. One year probation, has a follow-up with the judge this coming July. He had been doing well, As and Bs in school, job, etc. Two nights ago, he was out with friends, drinking earlier but sobered up, drove to McDonalds and ended up running a red light at a slow speed and hitting another car. He freaked out given his probation and fled the scene. The police found him 20 minutes later. Passed a sobriety test, was charged with felony hit and run class 5. Court date is in April.

He’s finally realizing that his current life trajectory is not sustainable. He’s interested in the Army, which I have been encouraging him to think about for many years now. He’s pursuing a full time job right now and will be doing all that he can to prove to the judge in April that he is a changed person. FT job, volunteering, driving safety course, etc. He’ll also be attending AA as he recognizes his drinking has been the root of so many awful decisions, I’m hopeful that will help him. (I am in AA myself.)

What are the prospects of his legal trajectory? What are the prospects of him being able to join the Army? I feel so helpless and worry so much for him, but he must fend for himself now. We are fixing and selling his car, we cannot trust him anymore. He will need to pay the $7500 to the lawyer from his FT job.