Thanks for writing and being sympathetic. Yes, it is hard to understand how such an old incident would like ruin my life now. It's not a felony. I didn't serve time or get on probation. I didn't even pay a fine so the judge clearly did not consider it deserving a penalty.

I'm working with vulnerable people so I do understand that they have a responsibility to screen people and not let just anyone in. Still there should be exceptions, like for something very old, or not as serious, or an explanation of what actually happened that isn't reflected in what is on paper. As one of the court clerk's said, it looks way worse on paper and is never what it seems.

I may not get this current position, but I can wait until my record is cleared and try again without any record. Problem is at some point, I will have to report all of it anyway and go into detail regardless of having my record cleared. That seems invasive and overkill to me, but that is what they do. I don't look forward to that at all.