The police have arrested you for an Excessive DUI. An excessive DUI means that your breath alcohol content (BAC) was above .20. You may have never been in trouble before, but you realize you are in real trouble now. Before you do anything else, read about what to expect with your excessive DUI.
Possible Penalties
The first thing you want to know is what is the worst that can happen to you. Incarceration is first and foremost in your mind.
Jail
First, we should discuss the elephant in the room, Jail! Jail is the scariest part of an excessive DUI case. Jail is scary in every case, but you know that because your BAC was so high, you are in more trouble. You were told it would be worse, but you are not sure how much worse. For
Minimum Jail
Unfortunately, there is also a minimum sentence on an excessive DUI, unlike a regular DUI. For an excessive DUI, you must serve at least ten days of jail. And 48 hours of that sentence have to be served consecutively. For the remaining eight days you may qualify for jail options.
Jail Options
The good news is that you may qualify for “options” to serve some of your jail time. These options are also known as alternative sentencing. These options can include community service, sheriff’s inmate labor detail, work release, weekends, and in some instances home confinement.
Fine
Of course, the court’s want their money. So the next issue is how much can they get from you? For a second misdemeanor DUI, the maximum possible fine is $2,000.
Restitution
The Courts may also order you to pay restitution, which has no maximum. If there was an accident involved, the court could order you to pay for the damages. If there was a blood draw, the court could order you to reimburse the county for the procedure.
Payment Plans
If you cannot pay the full amount of fines and restitution, the court can work out a payment plan with you. Fortunately
Probation
If the court does not sentence you to the maximum possible jail sentence, then they will likely because they suspended the sentence. A suspended sentence means that the court will keep open a penalty that it can later impose. It would only impose that sentence if you violated the court orders. The court will place you on probation.
Probation is a period that the court keeps your case. As long as you complete that time without violating the court’s terms, then you do not need to worry. If you break the rules, then the court can impose some of or all of the suspended sentence. This violation is called a probation violation.
For an excessive DUI violation, you are likely to be placed on supervised probation. Supervised means you will have a probation officer. In some circumstances
License Suspension
Besides jail, the license suspension can be the most severe part of an excessive DUI sentence. For an
Alcohol Evaluation
The Court will order you to complete an alcohol evaluation. They will generally order this after you enter a plea, and before your sentencing hearing. The court uses the assessment to determine how severe your alcohol addiction is. Consequently, the worse the habit, the more hours of treatment you will be ordered to complete.
Treatment
The evaluation will have a recommendation for a certain level of alcohol treatment. The type of treatment varies from 8 hours of an outpatient treatment class to months in inpatient treatment.
Victim’s Panel
In addition to the treatment the court orders you to do, it will also order you to complete a “Victim’s Panel.” This panel is a one night class where the state will educate you on the impact that driving under the influence has on victims of the crime.
What you should do
Even though you were arrested for an excessive DUI, this may be your first time in trouble. You may not know what to do next. That is why the first thing you should do is call an attorney. The possible consequences are much more severe than a regular DUI. An attorney can be your guide, your legal counselor, and your protector.
If you believe that our office is the right fit for you, call us today. Our top-rated DUI Attorneys can help you solve this crisis you have found yourself in.