New Law — Reduce Your Indiana D Felony to an A Misdemeanor EFFECTIVE TODAY!

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In the 2011-2012 Session of the Indiana General Assembly, Public Law 69-2012 was passed allowing D felons to reduce their past mistakes and have them entered as Class A Misdemeanors.  (See new I.C. s 35-50-2-7).

In order to reduce a Class D Felony conviction and have it entered as a Class A Misdemeanor:

1.  The offense cannot be of a sexual or violent nature (as defined in I.C. 11-8-8-5);

2.  The offense did not result in bodily injury to another person;

3.  The offense did not involve perjury or official misconduct.

4.  At least three (3) years must have passed since the sentence was completed (if any);

5.  At least three (3) years must have passed since any other obligations were satisfied; and

6.  The defendant has no pending criminal charges.

If you meet these criteria and would like to have your Class D Felony conviction reduced to a Class A Misdemeanor in Indiana, GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP can help!  CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION! (219) 531-7787

  • Sarah Hundley

    My receiving stolen property conviction was January 2, 2004 in Shelby county, Indiana. I.completed my sentence in prison on December 18, 2007 and had 6 months parole after and completed successfully. Please respond promptly, as I am very excited for New opportunities in the job market.

    • Sarah Hundley

      I made a mistake, my conviction was January 4, 2004, I believe.

    • http://www.etzlerlaw.com akc

      Dear Sarah,

      It seems like you would be a good candidate for Criminal Record Sealing or the Reduction of your Felony to a Misdemeanor, however, I would need to know more about your case. Go ahead and give our office a call (219)531-7787, you won’t be billed for the call!

      –Attorney Anna Christodoulakis

  • Brandon Haderle

    In 2005 I was sentenced with a Felony Burglary charge but I cannot find the papers to state to what degree the charge was. I have not gotten into any trouble since then and feel that I have lived with the weight of the felony on my back long enough. It’s increasingly difficult to get a job these days and the Felony charge doesnt make it any easier. If you could help me I would be greatly appreciative.

    Thank you for your time,
    Brandon H.

    • cab

      Brandon,

      First of all, I apologize for not replying to your comment sooner. Somehow your comment was overlooked and didn’t relay the proper notifiers. I just happened to notice it going through other comments. I do apologize.

      Unfortunately, the new law would not provide you relief. In Indiana, burglary can only be charged as an A, B, or C Felony, depending on the particular circumstances of your case. The new reduction and record sealing statutes only apply to D Felonies and below. There is other post-conviction relief available to you, but you would have to call my office to discuss that in greater detail. Those are much more fact-sensitive and require the discretion of the judge who imposed your original sentence. Please call my office for a FREE CONSULTATION at your earliest convenience. (219) 531-7787.

      Sincere thanks,

      -Attorney Christopher Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***This is not intended to provide legal advice, or to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact one of our attorneys who can assist you in obtaining legal representation.***

  • Evie

    My husband (from Michigan) moved to Richmond, Indiana to attend school. He was staying in an apartment, in which he broke into the apartments kitchen & stole 2 cans of soup. He was imprisoned under a Class C felony Burglary and Cass D felony Theft. All he has had is a initial hearing with both dates set for a pre-trial & a trial. It is December he has been in jail since mid October. his bail is $850, but I cant pay it. These are his first offenses. He also has a disability (learning) known by the state of MI. Please help me his pre-trial is coming up. He admits to the crimes & is remorseful for them both. Since in there he has (unknown why) been paced on lockdown.

    • cab

      Evie,

      I’m guessing that if you can’t come up with $850, you probably cannot afford to hire private defense counsel. I would contact (or have him fill out a request) for a public defender in the county where he is being held.

      I hope that helps,

      -Attorney Christopher Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***This is not intended to provide legal advice, or to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact one of our attorneys who can assist you in obtaining legal representation.***

  • Daniel

    I pled guilty to a class D felony for child support in 1998, placed on probation and unfortunatly violated that probation order. I went years without knowing there was a warrant for me and ended up serving my time in 2010. My original plea agreement mentioned the possibility of a sentence reduction after probation was served but that obviously changed. Would I still be a candidate for this reduction given the situation.

    • cab

      Daniel,

      Yours is much trickier than the average case, but there’s still a chance that we could get it done for you. Whether your felony can be reduced to a misdemeanor is left to the discretion of the judge. It will depend on the particular probation violation, and who the judge in your case is. I would be glad to discuss it in more detail. I would be glad to give you a FREE CONSULTATION. (219) 531-7787.

      Best,

      -Attorney Christopher A. Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***Comments or posts are not intended to provide legal advice, nor to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact our office to discuss obtaining legal representation.***

  • David

    Was wondering about something. I have found out that There is a class D felony charge on me. I have never been arrested or anything for this. It was back in 2007. Do you have any suggestions for me on this matter as to what I can do to put an end to it and clear my name? What should I do next?

    • cab

      David,

      It is very difficult to determine what is going on here. If I had to guess, from my experience, it is probably a mistake from someone who has a similar or identical name. I would be glad to assist you. Please give me a call for a FREE CONSULTATION. (219) 531-7787.

      -Attorney Christopher A. Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***Comments or posts are not intended to provide legal advice, nor to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact our office to discuss obtaining legal representation.***

  • raymond ward

    I was convicted of a class d felony in Jan 1996, in Indiana, habitual DWI, 2nd
    within 2 years. If I would of got pulled over the next day instead it wouldn’t have been inside of two years. Anyway, I want to get this dropped to a misdemeanor. It was in Hancock, (handcuff), county. I havent been arrested since. What do you charge for this service and can you help me. I can pull the case # if you need me to. Thanks, Ray……

    • cab

      Ray,

      I would be glad to assist you, and the fact that it is in Hancock County is of little consequence because of the new law. Please call my office for a FREE CONSULTATION to discuss price, etc. (219) 531-7787.

      I look forward to hearing from you.

      Sincere thanks,

      -Attorney Christopher A. Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***Comments or posts are not intended to provide legal advice, nor to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact our office to discuss obtaining legal representation.***

  • Kesha

    My my son have a class A class C D felony they got him dealing ,having no license and malewona i was wonder if this his first time can d felony be reduce

    • cab

      Kesha,

      The new law only applies to Class D Felonies. Anything above a Class D Felony (A,B,C) cannot be reduced or sealed at this time. I think that answers your question. If not, please feel free to call for a FREE CONSULTATION. (219) 531-7787.

      -Attorney Christopher Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***Comments or posts are not intended to provide legal advice, nor to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please contact our office to discuss obtaining legal representation.***

  • David

    had 2 or 3 DWI’s in my younger years. (1982??) Was convicted of a D felony and would like to know if this would be made a misdemeanor and open the way for me to get a conceal permit. I currently live in KY and have not been arrested forr anything since 1982. Any info would help.

    David

    • Chris Buckley

      David,

      These offens(es) are pretty old, and there’s a great deal we could do with them. I think we have a variety of options with combination(s) of criminal record sealing (similar to expungement) and felony reduction afforded by Indiana’s new Second Chance Act. Please give us a call at (219) 531-7787 for a FREE CONSULTATION and a licensed Indiana attorney will assist you.

      Sincere thanks,

      -Christopher A. Buckley, Partner
      GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

      ***This site is not intended to provide legal advice or to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please seek professional legal assistance by contacting a licensed attorney. This site, its articles, and all comments are intended solely for entertainment and educational purposes only.***

  • Tony

    I was arrested back in the late 1990′s for dui on 2 different occasions…the second being a class d felony…I had not been in any trouble and everything was going good until 2010 I had a reality check and was arrested for a dui…since I have quit drinking comepletely for obvious reasons…I have my own business and very active in my community with youth coaching…and every year I have to jump through hoops to get my coaching certifications…I am wondering if I have a chance on getting that one felony reduced to a misdemeanor…Thanks for the info in advance.

    • Chris Buckley

      Tony,

      You can likely have the D Felony DUI reduced to and entered as an A Misdemeanor, but this will depend on the particular court, judge, and prosecutor handling the case. It will not be the simplest task to get it accomplished seeing that you have a subsequent offense, but I have prevailed in cases much more complicated than this. This is not, however, a guarantee of a favorable outcome. I would definitely need more details before I could make an actual determination. Please call my office for a FREE CONSULTATION

        at your earliest convenience. (219) 531-7787.

        Sincere thanks,

        -Christopher A. Buckley, Partner
        GORDON ETZLER & ASSOCIATES, LLP

        ***This site is not intended to provide legal advice or to establish an attorney-client relationship. Please seek professional legal assistance by contacting a licensed attorney. This site, its articles, and all comments are intended solely for entertainment and educational purposes only.***