Ohio speeding ticket? seriously need help if there is an issue?

[Firephoenix938]

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Okay, just saw a thread about this, but not for Ohio laws. When I submitted my primary, I did not know that all Ohio speeding tickets are, for some bumahh reason, minor misdemeanors. So look, I’ve combed through like 12 posts and SDN threads, and no one has a clear answer. I have had a single speeding ticket ever. On my ticket, it is listed as TRD, meaning traffic court handled it. Criminal charges are cd= misdemeanor, cdr=felony, or something along those lines. I submitted ALL my secondaries as well, and only three schools asked me for all offenses, minor or criminal. The rest only said report criminal charges or criminal offenses (or something along those lines). As mine was handled through traffic court, I didn't think I was even able to report this. I GENUINELY found out in July, after many of the secondaries were submitted. I’m calling the court on Monday, but one post said it didn’t show up on their CertPhi background check. Literally, i had no way of knowing until randomly browsing on reddit and saw that in july. I figured off that post: , that i was safe in July. Now, I saw the recent Reddit post and someone was saying now this will screw up any admission chances after, or me being accused of knowing I had a misdemeanor and not reporting it (IT LITERALLY ISN'T A CRIMINAL OFFENSE; also class 4 misdemeanor is the first level that it becomes criminal). I'm so lost on what to do now, and I genuinely just want to know what to do seriously. It makes no sense how people can serially speed in other states yet my one and only ticket is somehow to me having a criminal (and not traffic) offense. Can someone with actual experience with this, or someone who know,s help me. And if not, what is my next step? I didn't mean to not report it, I genuinely didn't think a bummy speeding ticket would ever be labeled as a misdemeanor. That makes no dang sense at all. Anyway, please help cuz apparently its over for me based on the recent Reddit thread I saw?

 

[Moko]

Okay, just saw a thread about this, but not for Ohio laws. When I submitted my primary, I did not know that all Ohio speeding tickets are, for some bumahh reason, minor misdemeanors. So look, I’ve combed through like 12 posts and SDN threads, and no one has a clear answer. I have had a single speeding ticket ever. On my ticket, it is listed as TRD, meaning traffic court handled it. Criminal charges are cd= misdemeanor, cdr=felony, or something along those lines. I submitted ALL my secondaries as well, and only three schools asked me for all offenses, minor or criminal. The rest only said report criminal charges or criminal offenses (or something along those lines). As mine was handled through traffic court, I didn't think I was even able to report this. I GENUINELY found out in July, after many of the secondaries were submitted. I’m calling the court on Monday, but one post said it didn’t show up on their CertPhi background check. Literally, i had no way of knowing until randomly browsing on reddit and saw that in july. I figured off that post: , that i was safe in July. Now, I saw the recent Reddit post and someone was saying now this will screw up any admission chances after, or me being accused of knowing I had a misdemeanor and not reporting it (IT LITERALLY ISN'T A CRIMINAL OFFENSE; also class 4 misdemeanor is the first level that it becomes criminal). I'm so lost on what to do now, and I genuinely just want to know what to do seriously. It makes no sense how people can serially speed in other states yet my one and only ticket is somehow to me having a criminal (and not traffic) offense. Can someone with actual experience with this, or someone who know,s help me. And if not, what is my next step? I didn't mean to not report it, I genuinely didn't think a bummy speeding ticket would ever be labeled as a misdemeanor. That makes no dang sense at all. Anyway, please help cuz apparently its over for me based on the recent Reddit thread I saw?

First, take a deep breath: not all misdemeanors are created equal. This traffic violation is the misdemeanor equivalent of a dorm citation for having a guest over past visitor hours. No one will care or fault you for a minor speeding violation in the wrong state.

Here are the pertinent sections from AMCAS re: misdemeanors (from page 25-26 of the AMCAS Applicant guide):

Misdemeanor
You must indicate whether you have ever been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest to, a misdemeanor crime, excluding (1) any offense for which you were adjudicated as a juvenile, (2) any convictions that have been expunged or sealed by a court, (3) any misdemeanor convictions for which you completed any probation and for which the court dismissed the case (in states where applicable), and (4) any offense you are not required to disclose pursuant to a state-specific law (refer to state-specific notifications below).

If Yes to Felony or Misdemeanor
If you answer Yes to the felony or misdemeanor question, you will have 1,325 characters to explain the circumstances of your conviction, including the number of conviction(s), the nature of the offense(s) leading to conviction(s), the date(s) and location(s) of conviction(s), the sentence(s) imposed, and the type(s) of rehabilitation.

State-Specific Notifications About Felony and Misdemeanor Crimes
Below, you will find state-specific notifications relevant to the misdemeanor question in the application. This list may not be exhaustive, so you may wish to consult the admissions offices of the schools where you plan to apply for more information. These state-specific mandates are included here by regulatory mandate and may repeat information included elsewhere in the application.
...
• Ohio Residents: Please do not indicate any arrest or conviction for a minor misdemeanor drug violation (relating to 100 grams or less of marijuana or five grams or less of hashish).

If your misdemeanor i) occurred while you were <18 y/o, ii) has been expunged, sealed, or subsequently dismissed, or iii) does not need to be reported based on state laws (I'm not familiar with Ohio's state laws), then you do not need to report this conviction. Some schools will also specifically state that they do not care about speeding violations.

For all other schools, this misdemeanor will likely need to be reported, recognizing again that it will not have any meaningful effect on your application. When you have taken some deep breaths, draft a short, professional, and succinct email to each school you applied to explain:

• Your oversight re: Ohio's classification of speeding violations as misdemeanors,
• When this violation occurred and any pertinent details (e.g. going 65 in a 60 mph limit zone),
• Your punishment,
• Lessons learned and the fact that you've obeyed all laws since without any further violations.
• Add in a short apology for your oversight at the end.

Your email should only be a few to several lines in length. At my school, this correspondence will be included in your file. Most of us will chuckle and be glad that we didn't speed in Ohio.

The only ways in which this can hurt you is if you don't disclose if/when you should have OR if your communication of this oversight is done in a poor manner (e.g., without proper punctuation, grammar, spelling, and/or spacing, etc.). Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[Firephoenix938]

First, take a deep breath: not all misdemeanors are created equal. This traffic violation is the misdemeanor equivalent of a dorm citation for having a guest over past visitor hours. No one will care or fault you for a minor speeding violation in the wrong state.

Here are the pertinent sections from AMCAS re: misdemeanors (from page 25-26 of the AMCAS Applicant guide):



If your misdemeanor i) occurred while you were <18 y/o, ii) has been expunged, sealed, or subsequently dismissed, or iii) does not need to be reported based on state laws (I'm not familiar with Ohio's state laws), then you do not need to report this conviction. Some schools will also specifically state that they do not care about speeding violations.

For all other schools, this misdemeanor will likely need to be reported, recognizing again that it will not have any meaningful effect on your application. When you have taken some deep breaths, draft a short, professional, and succinct email to each school you applied to explain:

• Your oversight re: Ohio's classification of speeding violations as misdemeanors,
• When this violation occurred and any pertinent details (e.g. going 65 in a 60 mph limit zone),
• Your punishment,
• Lessons learned and the fact that you've obeyed all laws since without any further violations.
• Add in a short apology for your oversight at the end.

Your email should only be a few to several lines in length. At my school, this correspondence will be included in your file. Most of us will chuckle and be glad that we didn't speed in Ohio.

The only ways in which this can hurt you is if you don't disclose if/when you should have OR if your communication of this oversight is done in a poor manner (e.g., without proper punctuation, grammar, spelling, and/or spacing, etc.). Just my thoughts and best of luck.

Hello, thank you so much for your reply. I actually went and ordered a CertiPhi background check, but also, there was a person who went to law school (Ik not very set in stone) who replied to me on reddit with specific state statutes. I think it was 2925.11 (I don't remember the number) that stated that minor misdemeanors cannot be considered criminal and cannot be used to disqualify based on law or disability. (Went and looked up code haha) Ohio Revised Code § 2925.11(E)(2) provides that “a conviction of a minor misdemeanor does not constitute a criminal record for the purposes of any disqualification or disability imposed by law upon conviction of a crime.

I believe, based on that, I am actually not supposed to report it because it cannot constitute a criminal record or be used for any disqualifications ( this is where the legal background is lacking for me, but I think it falls under state law, where I don't need to report it). It also would make sense because why would AMCAS say do not include for marijuana possession in Ohio but include a minor speeding ticket. I did order that Certphi and have an oversight email drawn up, thanks to your template (I have already applied and finished my 35 secondaries, haha). A few others have dm'd me saying their Ohio speeding ticket never showed up on their background check either!!!

If you do have any other advice tho off of this info/my plan to address this if needed, I am all ears! I really do appreciate your help and reply.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I don't know the motivations of the reddit poster, but it seems you have some choices:

1) You can report it, even though it won't be on a criminal background check to demonstrate your integrity and transparency. Do your virtues override the practicality of the request to list the traffic violations?

2) You can not report it because legally you are not obligated to, nor are there consequences that impact your ability to be around vulnerable populations.

A simple Google search (without relying on the AI summary) suggests that traffic violations are rarely considered criminal behavior as an isolated charge or conviction (unless you were acting maliciously, like avoiding the cops and inspiring a 30-minute car chase).

The reddit post is playing with your mind. Ohio law isn't that far out of the norm, but most are "civil violations" and go on your driving record. That would be important if your job relies on your ability to drive, like being a commercial bus or freight truck driver, I suspect.

So are parking tickets. I doubt you'll ever get dinged for not paying the meter or even parking in an accessible or emergency space (though those aren't great looks). As we like to tell people, don't rely on the internet for expert advice.

Do Traffic Tickets Show on Criminal Background Checks?

When filling out a job application, you may be asked to disclose prior criminal history. If you end up getting hired for the job, you will also almost sure

www.backgroundchecks.com

 

[Firephoenix938]

I don't know the motivations of the reddit poster, but it seems you have some choices:

1) You can report it, even though it won't be on a criminal background check to demonstrate your integrity and transparency. Do your virtues override the practicality of the request to list the traffic violations?

2) You can not report it because legally you are not obligated to, nor are there consequences that impact your ability to be around vulnerable populations.

A simple Google search (without relying on the AI summary) suggests that traffic violations are rarely considered criminal behavior as an isolated charge or conviction (unless you were acting maliciously, like avoiding the cops and inspiring a 30-minute car chase).

The reddit post is playing with your mind. Ohio law isn't that far out of the norm, but most are "civil violations" and go on your driving record. That would be important if your job relies on your ability to drive, like being a commercial bus or freight truck driver, I suspect.

So are parking tickets. I doubt you'll ever get dinged for not paying the meter or even parking in an accessible or emergency space (though those aren't great looks). As we like to tell people, don't rely on the internet for expert advice.

Do Traffic Tickets Show on Criminal Background Checks?

When filling out a job application, you may be asked to disclose prior criminal history. If you end up getting hired for the job, you will also almost sure

www.backgroundchecks.com

Thank you so much for your reply. My certphi actually came back and it was completely clean! The Ohio statute i looked into in my reply to Moko actually makes it so I shouldnt report it either because it goes against AMCAS rule to follow state laws. I reported it still to all schools that had the wording “offenses” rather than misdemeanor because speeding tickets are still offenses just not a criminal one. Also to schools that specifically asked about moving offenses as well ofc.

 

[Moko]

Hello, thank you so much for your reply. I actually went and ordered a CertiPhi background check, but also, there was a person who went to law school (Ik not very set in stone) who replied to me on reddit with specific state statutes. I think it was 2925.11 (I don't remember the number) that stated that minor misdemeanors cannot be considered criminal and cannot be used to disqualify based on law or disability. (Went and looked up code haha) Ohio Revised Code § 2925.11(E)(2) provides that “a conviction of a minor misdemeanor does not constitute a criminal record for the purposes of any disqualification or disability imposed by law upon conviction of a crime.

I believe, based on that, I am actually not supposed to report it because it cannot constitute a criminal record or be used for any disqualifications ( this is where the legal background is lacking for me, but I think it falls under state law, where I don't need to report it). It also would make sense because why would AMCAS say do not include for marijuana possession in Ohio but include a minor speeding ticket. I did order that Certphi and have an oversight email drawn up, thanks to your template (I have already applied and finished my 35 secondaries, haha). A few others have dm'd me saying their Ohio speeding ticket never showed up on their background check either!!!

If you do have any other advice tho off of this info/my plan to address this if needed, I am all ears! I really do appreciate your help and reply.

I'm not a lawyer either, but I did not reach the same conclusion that you did.

What you quoted from Ohio Revised Code § 2925.11(E)(2) says that you do not have a disqualifying criminal record simply because of a minor misdemeanors; it does not say that you do not need to report your misdemeanor if/when specifically asked about it on applications for jobs or schools in Ohio or elsewhere; so the 'state-specific' non-disclosure clause would not apply in this case. If AMCAS intended to exclude minor Ohio speeding tickets from disclosure, they would have specified that, but they did not.

If my child was in your situation and a school asked them if they've ever been convicted of a misdemeanor (without specifically excluding minor speeding violations), I would tell them to answer 'yes' and offer a succinct explanation and apology as described above, knowing that it would not hurt them if they were to apply to my school (which is fairly selective), and could not be used against them after acceptance should they ever land in hot water with the school. I would be surprised if this had any meaningful impact at other schools.

While unlikely to be found, I can certainly envision a situation where a student is in hot water with a school, and then their lying on their application over a trivial matter is used against them to help justify a harsh disciplinary action that otherwise could be negotiated/fought. Of course, everyone has their own risk tolerance, but when it comes to medical education and the amount of money involved, I would minimize my risks and email the addendum. Just my thoughts.

 

[Firephoenix938]

I'm not a lawyer either, but I did not reach the same conclusion that you did.

What you quoted from Ohio Revised Code § 2925.11(E)(2) says that you do not have a disqualifying criminal record simply because of a minor misdemeanors; it does not say that you do not need to report your misdemeanor if/when specifically asked about it on applications for jobs or schools in Ohio or elsewhere; so the 'state-specific' non-disclosure clause would not apply in this case. If AMCAS intended to exclude minor Ohio speeding tickets from disclosure, they would have specified that, but they did not.

If my child was in your situation and a school asked them if they've ever been convicted of a misdemeanor (without specifically excluding minor speeding violations), I would tell them to answer 'yes' and offer a succinct explanation and apology as described above, knowing that it would not hurt them if they were to apply to my school (which is fairly selective), and could not be used against them after acceptance should they ever land in hot water with the school. I would be surprised if this had any meaningful impact at other schools.

While unlikely to be found, I can certainly envision a situation where a student is in hot water with a school, and then their lying on their application over a trivial matter is used against them to help justify a harsh disciplinary action that otherwise could be negotiated/fought. Of course, everyone has their own risk tolerance, but when it comes to medical education and the amount of money involved, I would minimize my risks and email the addendum. Just my thoughts.

Oh, I see what you mean about disclosure. I'm also not a lawyer, but someone who finished law school (or close to it) posted that reply on a Reddit post stating that because it couldn't be used for disqualification, it was unnecessary to write it (which they aren't practicing yet, so still something to take with a grain of salt). I also got my CertPhi back, and my Ohio speeding ticket did not pop up at all. The two background checks I have undergone (one from last year when I was applying for a job) were also clean. In Ohio, Minor misdemeanors aren't classified as real misdemeanors until they become class 4. I will still heed your advice to schools I am able to! Thank you for being so helpful, and I am kinda relieved through all this that my Certiphi came back clean, haha.