The Supreme Court of North Carolina ruled last week in Walters v. Cooper, that when a person receives a prayer for judgment continued (PJC) , registration as a sex offender is NOT required.
Without going into the reasons in detail, a true PJC is not a final conviction and therefore registration was not mandated. Despite the underlying admission of guilt and the fact that a PJC may have minor conditions, the Appellate and Supreme Court ruled that registration was not required in this case.
NOTE: This is an exception to the rule that a PJC is a sufficient enough resolution for impeachment purposes, prior record points and the prohibition of firearms for felons.
Just know that a PJC is a judicial anomaly, a quasi conviction and an odd duck. If you are fortunate enough to get a true PJC in NC for a misdemeanor or a felony for a registerable offense , you won’t have to register as a sex offender but there will be other ramifications. The slippery slope part is whether you have a true PJC or a conditional one. The argument of the dissent could prevail if your case is one saddled by significant conditions. This is VERY tricky.
