DUI Third Offense Felony Defense Attorney
A person who is arrested for any drunk or drugged driving charge who has two prior drunk driving convictions, no matter how long ago any of those two prior offenses occurred, faces a felony third offense DUI / OUI / OWI charge. Possible penalties include:
- A minimum 30 day jail sentence or up to one year in jail.
- A license revocation of one to five years depending upon the length of time of the last conviction
- $1,000 driver responsibility fees for two years in a row
- Probation for up to five years
- Vehicle immobilization ranging from one to three years
- Vehicle forfeiture (possibly)
- Denial of your driver’s registration
- An additional six points on your driver’s record
- A felony that stays on your record for the rest of your life – perhaps the most severe consequence of all.
Generally, the more prior offenses someone has and depending upon how close in time they are, the court may consider higher penalties. The same goes for the blood alcohol level. The higher the level, the higher the penalties. A court can also look to such things as reckless driving, property damage and physical injury to others as factors to consider when sentencing those guilty of this offense.
While in most jurisdictions, including Wexford, Missaukee, Osceola, Mecosta, Otsego, and Isabella counties, it is possible to reduce the third offense to a misdemeanor, depending on the time of the last offense, a license revocation is still mandatory. You will never find a prosecutor willing to reduce a drunk driving to a non-driving related offense unless a good Michigan drunk driving lawyer is able to show them they are unlikely to win the case at trial.
If you are charged with operating while intoxicated charge (OWI / DUI / DWI) in northern Michigan counties such as Clare, Otsego, Kalkaska, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Isabella, Mecosta, or Osceola counties or communities such as Harrison, Clare, Big Rapids, Cadillac, Lake City, Mount Pleasant, Gaylord, or Reed City – contact the Law Offices of Ravi R. Gurumurthy, PLC at 231-577-1580.
