We help clients that have been charged with multiple DUI offenses. If you received a DUI a couple of years ago and are now facing a second charge or worse a third – you need an attorney, and you need one fast. This is not a simple matter, and the court will not view it as such. Drinking and driving comes with serious repercussions, making it critical to have the charges reduced whenever possible. This is why we warn even first-time offenders that it is important to fight to get the charges dropped or reduced, rather than to allow for a conviction. Keep in mind that a conviction stays on your record for ten years so you only have to mess up twice in ten years, to face serious penalties in the state of California.
Here is what you need to know:
A second conviction is no laughing matter. If you are convicted again, you will have at least a one-year license suspension and in order to get down to one year, you will have to undergo an alcohol-treatment program. Otherwise, you could face a two-year suspension and regardless, you will be restricted in where you can drive for a period of time. This is where we, as an attorney, can help by trying to get the court to agree to allow you to drive to enough locations that you can continue to meet your obligations, especially if you are a parent.
If you are convicted a second time you will also be required to install an interlock device on your vehicle which will make it so your BAC levels are tested before the car can start, making it extremely difficult to drive while intoxicated. You will also be required to spend at least ten days in jail and pay a fine. Life with multiple DUI offenses is not exactly simple.
If you are convicted for a third time, the penalties only escalate. At minimum you will be forced to spend 120 days in jail which will hinder your ability to maintain employment, continue paying your bills (since most people don’t have three plus months of savings), and caring for your children. A jail sentence of this kind can ruin, at least temporarily, someone’s life. In addition to spending time in jail, once released, you will be unable to drive for three years and will need to go through a thirty-month program before you are allowed to drive again.
As a lawyer representing those with multiple DUI offenses, we want to point out that the penalties listed above are the minimum penalties. It can actually be much worse. For example, a third conviction can come with up to ten years in jail, rather than 120 days, and that is why you need a good attorney to fight on your behalf. If you have been arrested for a DUI, we recommend calling our office immediately so that we can begin gathering evidence that can be used to demonstrate your innocence, get the charges reduced, or help to receive the lightest sentence possible upon conviction.
