South Kingstown Leaving Scene of Accident Charge Dismissed/Expunged

In May of 2010, our Client was arrested and charged by the South Kingstown Police Department for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage.  Pursuant to Rhode Island General Law 31-26-2:  

The driver of any vehicle knowingly involved in an accident resulting only in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to it as possible, but shall immediately return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until he or she has fulfilled the requirements of § 31-26-3. A stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

The penalties if convicted include a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), and/or his or her driver's license or operating privilege in the state may be suspended for a period up to six (6) months, and/or he or she may be imprisoned for a period not to exceed 6 months.

Instead, in June of 2010, our client received a one (1) year filing, which is not a criminal conviction and the Court did not impose a period of license suspension.  As part of the filing, our client was required to keep the peace and be of good behavior for one (1) year.  Recently, our Client's record was expunged, allowing her to maintain a clean criminal record and avoid any disciplinary actions at school.