DWI Penalties ◦ St. Louis Park, Minnesota, DUI Defense Lawyer
If you have received a DWI citation in Minnesota for the first time, it is important to realize that this is not just another traffic ticket.
A drunk driving arrest will result in two types of legal problems for most people. First, there is the administrative process, which may affect your driver's license. You must deal with restoration of your driving privileges regardless of how your DWI/DUI case is resolved. Second, there are potential criminal penalties if you are convicted of the DWI/DUI charges.
Contact an experienced DWI/DUI defense attorney at the law offices of Goldfarb & Associates, P.A., to discuss the penalties that you may face if your drunk driving charges hold up in court. Talk about how the assistance of an experienced DWI/DUI and criminal defense lawyer can increase the chances that your case will have a favorable outcome such as dismissal or reduction of charges.
Administrative sanctions may include the following:
- 90 day driver's license suspension if you have had no prior impaired driving incident within the past ten years and no other aggravating factors (reducible to 30 days for a first-time offender)
- Six month driver's license suspension if you are under age 21
- 180 day driver's license suspension if you have had a prior impaired driving incident within the past ten years
- Double the times listed above if your blood alcohol level was measured at .20 or higher, or if you had a passenger in your car under age 16
- One year driver's license suspension if you refused to submit to the chemical test of blood, breath or urine (reducible to 90 days if this is a first-time offense)
- Revocation of driving privileges for three or more offenses (pending treatment and rehabilitation)
Reinstatement of a driver's license after the suspension period will require payment of a $250 driver's license reinstatement fee, a $380 surcharge on the driver's license reinstatement fee and a driver's license application fee of $18.50.
Potential criminal penalties of a drunk driving conviction in Minnesota may include the following:
- A $1000 fine and/or 90 days in jail for a fourth-degree DWI (misdemeanor)
- A $3000 fine and/or 1 year in jail for a third- or second-degree DWI (gross misdemeanor)
- A $14,000 fine and/or seven years in prison for a first-degree DWI (felony)
Criminal Vehicular Operation: Even a first-time offender may face prison time of up to 48 months if a drunk driving conviction coincides with an accident that caused death or serious injury to another driver, passenger or unborn child.
Boating or Off-Road Vehicle Violations: A drunken operation incident may not result in DWI penalties if the driver has no prior impaired driving incidents on record, but they may apply if the driver does have a prior drunk driving incident on record.
Contact the law offices of Goldfarb & Associates to schedule a consultation regarding your drunk driving arrest and ways that an attorney can help you fight the charges and penalties.
