Sometimes things are not sweeter the second (or third, or fourth) time around. In fact, not all things are worth experiencing even once. Generally speaking, the things in life you never want to be a part of, not even for a first time, are related to criminal law. It is not anyone’s plan to go out and commit a crime, be arrested for that crime, and then made to stand in front of a judge. But things happen, and it is not an unusual event for a person to be arrested, for minor or more serious charges. When that does happen, the best thing to do is to get to an experienced lawyer’s office as soon as possible, so you can begin to develop a defense that will result in the least amount of impact on your life. Good results can be accomplished with most first time offenders, but if you are a second or third time offender you should not expect as lenient a sentence as you may have received in your first case.
As the number of incidents of similar action increase, so do the penalties. For DUIs, the most notable increase in penalties are for jail time, fines, and the impact on one’s driver’s license.
● An increase in the amount of time you might have to spend in jail. Many first-time offenders are able to escape jail time, even though the law allows for a sentence of no more than six months, but a second-time offender might have to go to jail for up to nine months. If this is your third DUI, you could be looking at incarceration of up to 12 months.
● The fine also increases from between $500 and $1,000 for a first-time offender to between $1,000 and $2,000 for a second-time offender, and between $2,000 to $5,000 for a third-time DUI offense. If you have more than three DUIs, the fine is no less than $2,000.
● First-time DUI offenders may lose their driver’s license for up to a year. And, that time increases to five years if the second conviction occurred within five years of the first case. Third-time offenders will lose their license for 10 years, if the third case happened within 10 years, and fourth-time offenders face permanent loss of driving privileges.
Due to these increases in punishment, properly defending subsequent DUIs becomes increasingly imporant. If you have been charged with a subsequent DUI, call us right away. We know what needs to be done to protect your rights and to help get the most satisfactory results.
If you have questions about DUI defense, call our office for answers. Call an experienced criminal defense attorney in Key West. Call us today to talk about your case and learn what to do next.