Too bad it doesn’t prevent a number of shifty characters from squeezing through the cracks.
They can always get a seat in congress, a state supreme court, be an admiral or governor or hold some other high government position … the CG just doesn’t want them chipping paint.
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A voyage to Canada is sometimes handy to bring the skeletons out of the closet.
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I am 99.8% sure you are in the clear with this, but that language leaves a tiny bit of wiggle room. The usual problem is lying on an official form is a serious offense, usually much worse than doing whatever you are lying about.
I might be tempted to burn an hour’s lawyer time to know for 100% sure this means nothing to report, YMMV.
- rant on, I totally hate the “Have you ever been CHARGED” questions. You are not guilty of anything unless convicted.
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I have always thought that was an inappropriate question. A few states do not even allow the question to be asked. Presumption of guilt remains in the majority of states.
Paid means you paid a fine/fee. You paid said fee because you were guilty. Why would you pay for something you didn’t do?
Have you not seen any number of documentaries about people pleading guilty to crimes they didn’t commit?
It could backfire. The Canadian border agents have access to the NCIC and if they note on your record that you were refused entry because of a conviction, it would defeat the purpose.
Because at the end of the day it was a whole lot easier to go to court for an hour one day and just pay the fee to have the whole thing dismissed as opposed to going through what could be a lengthy trial to ultimately being convicted and found guilty at the end of it.
And based on how easily someone could just go to the cops, tell their own version of events and have me arrested just based on their word I wasn’t gonna take a chance.
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Yeah true I’m most likely going to just report it when the time comes, I’d rather just be upfront about it than try to hide it and have it bite me in the ass.
I don’t think I’d have a problem getting into Canada since I wasn’t technically convicted by the court. I had a DUI when I was 17 that was CWOF but is still on my record and Ive never had an issue getting into Canada.
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Well I was kinda saying that tongue in cheek…
Generally, CBSA used to only come down to the boat if there was an issue with someone, though the last couple years I was on that run they were starting to board more often for “random” checks. The joke onboard if we saw them coming this way was basically “okay, who’s got the skeletons this time?” (especially if we had new crew onboard, who were usually the problem).
Had a few that were granted temporary residency and had to take care of some items before returning again and a few that were flat out told not to return to Canada.
Very wise decision and should not affect you.
Because it’s SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper to pay the person’s $500 deductible than pay the lawyer fees necessary to go to trial. I’m amazed anyone could seriously ask that question.
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This is a conviction for USCG purposes, but given some of the criminals I’ve encountered onboard, scratching a car isn’t much of a crime.
Get a good lawyer who is a USCG Academy graduate and former officer to represent you and help you renew. If you do that, I think you’ll make it just fine.
This is why you need a lawyer to find out EXACTLY what this means.
Paid-Dismissed could just mean you coughed up a $20 court fee or whatever and were not convicted of anything. When I worked on an Army base and got a speeding ticket, on the way to the Army court there was a side room they would call you into and you could pay a fine to the base morale fund and not get anything on your driving record or take your chances with the judge. As far as my driving record went, nothing showed.
In this case they may have a “get the morons out of my courtroom” system with informal settlements and have them be “charges dismissed” officially. If the OP actually is now a convicted felon, that $500 deal was the worst $500 ever spent. It is worth finding out.
Good idea. Good luck.
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Why pay a lawyer, just go out and buy a handgun. You will know then if you are a felon.
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A long time ago, I worked at a Coast Guard OPCEN in southern Florida. I had access to NCIC, and I had a pretty low level position. I had to check people, such as contractors, that came onto the base. I’m sure that upper levels of the Coast guard will have access to that, too.
As an aside, we had people come on to our base to film for a James Bond movie. I was tasked with reviewing each of the people on the crew, including the caterers. Our XO was afraid that some of them would try to sell ‘information’ about the cutters tied up there to drug lords, or something. You would be surprised how many people came up as having been convicted for murder!
One other time, someone I worked with there ran the name of a killer on the loose, that she had heard on the news. Within about 5 minutes several law enforcement agencies, including federal agencies, called to ask why we were running that name, and did we have the guy.
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That’s funny. The converse of that is a story my brother who worked for NCIS told me he was having breakfast with some local police and they asked him exactly what agency he worked for and when he told them one said,“Oh, I stopped a guy last week and when I called it in the dispatch said contact NCIS, I asked who was that and dispatch said I’m not sure, get his info and we’ll call them in the morning.” My brother said in fairness this was during the transition from NIS to NCIS but a guy wanted for two murders got to wander around free for a few more weeks. 
When I got hired by XXX Airline the state police came by to do our fingerprints and badges. They said if you are wanted JUST LEAVE. I had to ask what was up with that and they said despite warning everyone, they usually caught at least one wanted criminal per month 
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