Recently, a man in Texas was sentenced to life in prison after his ninth DWI charge. This was the man’s fifth trip to jail after being convicted of driving while impaired. In the most recent instance, he was involved in a collision and hit another car almost head-on. He ran to a nearby convenience store and asked a clerk to try to hide him, but was unsuccessful in evading police and faced charges. The judge indicated he did not believe the man could be rehabilitated, according to 6 ABC.

While this case is an unusual one and a life sentence for drunk driving is not common, cases like this illustrate the rapidly increasing penalties that can result from repeat drunk driving convictions. The fact that penalties become progressively more severe is one of many reasons why you need to take a first offense DWI seriously.

Unfortunately, many people who are charged with drunk driving do not know how to respond to their charges or how to protect their future, especially if this drunk driving charge is their first time dealing with the criminal justice system.

Mistakes to Avoid After a First Offense DWI

After a first offense DWI, there are common mistakes many defendants make because of their lack of familiarity with the Texas criminal justice system and because they are unaware of their options. Some of the mistakes you want to avoid include the following:

• Waiting to act. There are deadlines you need to meet to protect your license. You also want to try to gather evidence as soon as you can to ensure you have the best chance of a strong defense.
• Pleading guilty without exploring options. In some cases, pleading guilty is the best choice because there is strong evidence against you and limited options for defense. In many other situations, however, you may be able to avoid a conviction.  Even if you do decide you should plead guilty, you should make sure you try to get the best plea deal possible from a prosecutor.
• Assuming you will be found guilty for failing a BAC test. If your blood alcohol concentration was tested and was above the .08 legal limit, you might assume this evidence is enough to convict you. The reality is, there are ways to raise reasonable doubt about whether the evidence is accurate. There could also be ways to try to get the evidence suppressed so it cannot be used to secure a guilty verdict. Never assume you cannot be acquitted, even if the scientific evidence is not on your side.
• Not hiring a lawyer. You should have a lawyer looking out for your interests.

The best way to try for the most positive outcome possible after an arrest for impaired driving is to talk to an experienced attorney before responding to charges.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2016 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Drunk Driving. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.