Arrested for weapons offense, will this go on record?

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Question

Country: United States of America
State: Michigan

We lit a smoke bomb in a college dorm. I held out a lighter and my friend lit the smoke bomb and chucked it down the hall. The fire dept. came. Now, we're in trouble. We already admitted it to them and were arrested for a "weapons offense". No damage was done and no one was hurt. What could possibly happen to us? Is there any possibility this won't go on our permanent record? My friend is also on probation already in a different county for trespassing in a public park at night. What could happen to him?

Answer

Make sure you get counsel (or at least the public defender) to try to keep this off your record eventually--jail time is probably not likely if your record is very clear now. But having that arrest and/or a conviction on your record will make job-hunting etc. more difficult. Often this could be negotiated down to some kind of court supervision etc.