In 1996, when I was 21, I lived with 4 other guys. We hosted a large house party where people under the age of 17 were allegedly drinking.

The following day, the police arrived and asked us about the incident – specifically – they wanted to know who served the minors alcohol.



The police stated that if somebody admitted to serving the alcohol, it wouldn’t be a “big deal”. Otherwise, we would all be charged. We maintained that they brought the alcohol themselves but were subsequently arrested for “endangering the welfare of a child”. Everyone that lived in the house was arrested.



I eventually accepted a deal to plead guilty to “disorderly conduct”, served 8 hours of community service, got an ACD, and had a 1 year order of protection from the other minors. These terms were fine with me at the time….. I believe my other 4 co-defendants received similar terms (nobody was convicted).



6 months prior to this incident, I was also arrested for possession of an alcoholic beverage (before I was 21). I paid a $50 fine (I believe this was also disorderly conduct).

Since the latter arrest, I have had no other run-ins with the law.



Now – at the age of 34 – my wife and I are looking to adopt a child. I am highly embarrassed and ashamed of my error in judgment – and – deeply concerned this will affect our chances of adopting. Please let me know if you think this will be a major hurdle to overcome – and – what I may expect as we continue on this journey.

As long as you are honest with the adoption agency, there should be no problems, really.

I know that background checks are done for adopting couples, but given the nature of your offenses, and how long ago they were, there shouldn't be major hurdles to overcome.

Have you hired a lawyer to help with your adoption? If so, you may want to consult with him or her to find out exactly what you should say.