Event to help those in Beaufort County and surrounding areas clear criminal records

Sebastian Lee
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An expungement clinic in Old Town Bluffton could remove qualifying crimes from Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, Hampton and Allendale residents’ records.

The mostly free clinic will be held at Campbell Chapel AME Church, 25 Boundary St., and hosted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. It will start at noon and end at 3 p.m. March 27.

To qualify for the expungement, a few conditions must be met:

  • The charge must have originated in Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton or Jasper counties.

  • The applicant must fill out and submit an application.

  • The applicant must obtain the disposition sheet from the court that heard the charge(s) and submit it to the Solicitor’s Office.

  • The applicant must present a separate cashier’s check or money order for each of the applicable fees listed in the fee schedule.

If the charges were dismissed, nolle prossed or found not guilty, they will be expunged at no cost. However, a fee may be included for expungement of other charges.

Here’s what the pricing looks like:

  • Dismissed/nolle prossed as part of a plea agreement: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office

  • Fraudulent check conviction: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office, $25 to SLED and $35 to the Clerk of Court

  • Conditional discharge: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office and $35 to the Clerk of Court

  • First-offense conviction/Youthful Offender Act: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office, $25 to SLED and $35 to the Clerk of Court

  • First-offense failure to stop: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office, $25 to SLED and $35 to the Clerk of Court

  • Completion of intervention program: $250 to the Solicitor’s Office and $35 to the Clerk of Court

Traffic violations and violent crimes cannot be expunged.

Additional legal and health care resources will be available at the clinic as well.

Lowcountry Legal Volunteers will provide free legal services to those who financially qualify. They can assist with a variety of services including adoptions, child custody, divorce, eviction actions, lease termination, non-refund of security deposits and will services. A forensic nurse will be available to answer questions about local pediatric and adult sexual assault services.

The Solicitor’s Office has another clinic planned for the fall.

How it works

The solicitor will send applications to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Once SLED has verified the offense is eligible for expungement, the application is returned to the solicitor.

Then, it gets mailed to the summary court judge who originally heard the case. The judge will then sign the application and send it back to the solicitor.

Next, it’s sent to a circuit judge and back to the solicitor for the final time.

Finally, the solicitor will make copies and send them to all pertinent governmental agencies, as well as the applicant or the applicant’s attorney.

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