Being Charged With DUI For the first Time: Possible Consequences

Chances are the vast majority of people, who are reading this article never had any kind of problems with the law enforcement authorities. Still, we all make mistakes and at times hope that our errors will go unnoticed. However, there are cases, when things do not go according to initial plans.

With that said, let us imagine the following situation – you are at your best friend’s birthday party. Everyone around you is having fun and people want you to drink some alcohol. Of course, you refuse, since you know that you are going to have to drive back home. However, your best friend insists and says that he will be offended if you are not going to drink with him. Well, you drink a couple glasses of wine and refuse to drink anymore. Very soon you realize that you need to get back home, so you get behind the wheel. You are not really drunk and you are sure that you will get home safely.

On your way back you are being pulled over at a DUI checkpoint. The law enforcement officer asks you to step out of the vehicle and submit yourself to a breathalyzer test as well as some other field sobriety tests. If you are going to refuse, you will automatically be suspected in driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances and taken into custody. In case you are going to submit yourself to the tests and they will indicate that your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) is above acceptable, you are going to be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

The very first thing that you can expect is the fact that the law enforcement officer is going to take your driver’s license from you. You will be also provided with a temporary permit, which will expire within 30 days, after which your license is going to be revoked. Of course, you can try and prevent this from happening by initiating an administrative DMV hearing within 10 days from your arrest.

Furthermore, if you are going to be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances, you will be obliged to pay expensive fines and even risk getting yourself in jail or state prison. If there was a minor in the car with you, you will be sentence to two years in prison, which is a very frightening outcome.

In the end, if you are a first-time DUI offender, the most important thing to do would be to get in touch with a qualified as well as genuinely experienced Sacramento DUI attorney, who knows exactly how to deal with this type of case properly. You will want to hire a genuine expert, who will not let you down, since charges are serious and may have a long-lasting effect on your life. When your freedom is at stake, it is imperative to choose our DUI lawyer in Sacramento who has unmatched reputation supported by 20+ years of legal experience.