Juvenile Judge Offering Fresh Start for Teens

For the second year, Summit County Juvenile Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio is offering to seal juvenile records to offer a fresh start to youths.

“We were very encouraged last year by the response we had for our first Operation Fresh Start and there was no question we would offer it again this year,” said Teodosio.

Operation Fresh Start is scheduled for Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bridgestone-Firestone Room on the first floor of the John S.Knight Center, at 77 E. Mill St. in Akron, as part of the Summit for Kids event.

Operation Fresh Start offers an opportunity to have Summit County Juvenile Court records sealed. Also, parents with failure to send warrants and students with truancy warrants can have them cleared before the next school year begins, a press release from the courthouse stated.

There will be no charge for this service.

Participants will be asked to produce photo identification and fill out an application. The applicant’s case will be accessed on an on-site computer and a records check will be completed.

Representatives from the court and the prosecutor’s office will determine if each case needs to be set for a hearing or if the record should be sealed on the spot, said Don Ursetti, the juvenile court's outreach coordinator. 

Parents or students who have an outstanding failure to send or truancy warrant can request to have that warrant recalled.

Again, photo identification should be produced and a court staff member will access the applicant’s information.

If there is an active warrant, a magistrate will be present to meet with the applicant.

The magistrate can recall the warrant and set a hearing date on the failure to send or truancy case.

"It must be noted that a records check will be done," said Ursetti. "If applying for a sealing of a juvenile record or request that the warrant of a failure to send or truancy case be recalled, the clerks will perform a records check. If there is an outstanding warrant for anything other than failure to send or truancy, the appropriate authorities will need to be contacted."

For more information, visit www.summitforkids.net or go to the event's Facebook page.