Foolish Arrest! (could have been avoided)

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
#1

Hello,

I’m currently 25 on the verge of getting my commercial license. I recently started thinking about being arrested at 19 for having the goofiest looking pump up bb gun pistol in my car me and my buddies used to shoot street signs with. I forgot it was under my passenger seat, and when I was on a date a girl she noticed it while we were parked, so she handed it to me and I threw it in the back. Next thing I know cops are knocking on my window because my tags were a year old and they noticed it and slapped the cuffs on me. Because I was kind of cocky with them they booked me for a night (they said they would have let me go). So anyways nicely enough of those cops they gave me a trespassing misdemeanor (which I wasn’t but it’s better than a gun charge) that was dropped, expunged or dismissed I don’t remember but one of the two. What do you guys think am I screwed from the airlines? Or is it a dumb story I’m going to have to tell at every interview and hope the interviewer gets a laugh from it?

#2

Robert,

No interviewer will get a laugh from your story. What I see is:

  1. You were driving with tags that were expired by a year.

  2. You discharged a weapon at street signs, damaging public property and endangering people.

  3. You were careless with the handling of a firearm.

  4. You got an attitude with the cops.

  5. “Dropped, expunged, or dismissed” equals three possibilities, not two.

All of these things add up to show somebody with a total disrespect for the law. Your current attitude shows that you have learned nothing. If I was on your interview panel, it would be a hard “no” from me.

Of course your results may vary and I recommend contacting the recruiting departments of a few regionals and asking them directly.

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