Being charged with driving under the influence is not a small matter. Even a first offense has the potential to result in jail time, and there are other penalties that can have a significant impact on your ability to support yourself and your family. While the best answer is to never drink and then drive, if it’s too late to make that choice you need to pursue the best course that remains open to you. When you’re facing charges, you should seek help from a DUI Attorney in Stow Ohio at the earliest possible opportunity.
The main reason that you should seek help from an attorney quickly is that there may be a window of opportunity to plead guilty to reckless driving rather than going to trial for the charge of DUI. Prosecutors can sometimes be persuaded to accept this, known as a “wet reckless” charge, if the blood alcohol was near the borderline of what constitutes drunk driving and the situation was otherwise benign. So long as no one was harmed and there was no accident, therefore, there is a chance that you can avoid the worst of the penalties for this crime. You should keep in mind, however, that it would still be treated as a prior DUI conviction if you’re ever caught doing the same thing again.
What a DUI Attorney in Stow Ohio can do for you will depend heavily on the details of your case. If your blood alcohol level is between 0.08 percent and 0.17 percent, for example, even a first conviction will result in a mandatory 72 hours in jail. Being arrested and convicted also results in an Administrative License Suspension, or ALS, of 90 days in addition to the likely court-ordered license suspension of 6 months to 6 years. The penalties increase for repeat offenders, and the help of a lawyer is particularly critical when losing your license could cripple your ability to hold a job and support yourself or your family.
Perduk, Hamey and Associates is available for consultations if you are facing charges of driving while drunk. They can help you to assess the evidence related to your case, and to come to an informed decision about whether you should attempt to fight the charges or seek to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of minimizing the damage.
