Being arrested for suspicion of drinking and driving can be quite scary, and understanding what will happen to you throughout this entire process can be unsettling to say the least. The entire process from arrest to court date will happen very quickly, and you need to act aggressively for the best possible outcome in your case.

FROM KEY WEST TO KEY LARGO:

If you were visiting the Florida Keys and were arrested while on vacation, you will likely
have to return in the near future for a court case. Although getting arrested for drinking and driving in Key West can cause you a great deal of stress, we can also help make the process a little easier on you. This is a common criminal procedure in the Keys, and we are equipped to handle a large majority of the legal information over the phone and via email.  We can provide you with all of the necessary documentation and prepare for your upcoming court date. You are not the first person to be arrested in South Florida for DUI, and you won’t be the last. Let us make the process as easy as possible for you.

Is a DUI a Felony in the State of Florida?

Many vehicle drivers implicated of DUI or DWI are scared that the violation will certainly be considered a felony. Nevertheless, in the majority of states as well as in a lot of scenarios, a DUI conviction is categorized as an offense. Essentially, a very first time DUI offense is charged as an offense, not a felony. There are some exemptions to this rule.

Misdemeanors as well as felonies are the two kinds of criminal offenses, and a felony lugs a much steeper repercussion than an offense. A misdemeanor could still cause time in prison, but the punishment and prison sentence are less than what accompanies a felony sentence. A felony could cause a state prison term of greater than a year, along with various other repercussions enforced by the court. Nevertheless, given that both an offense as well as a felony are criminal offenses, if you are convicted, the crime will go on your criminal record as well as can influence your future.

Some states increase a DUI/DWI charge to a felony if the motorist causes physical damage to another. Often, district attorneys have the discretion to choose whether to prosecute a DUI/DWI case entailing physical injury as an offense or a felony. In some states, like California, district attorneys should additionally demonstrate that the person accused of DUI/DWI caused that injury concerned. Each state is different, and often times, you will have laws that differ from county to county. If arrested in the state of Wisconsin for example, there may be different laws in the county in which you were arrested.  It may not be enough to just work with a drunk driving lawyer serving all of the state, you may need to get more granular for your case and find a Milwaukee criminal defense lawyer who practices specifically in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

If another vehicle driver faces the drunk chauffeur while stopped at a stop sign and also suffers injuries, then the intoxicated chauffeur didn’t create the bodily damage and the DUI/DWI fee will continue to be a violation. That is what it is advisable to speak with a law firm that devotes their practice to this type of legal defense.

In Florida, you could get a DUI (driving under the influence) if you own or remain in physical control of a lorry with a blood alcohol focus (BAC) of.08% or greater– typically called a “per se” DUI or “DUBAL” (driving with an illegal blood alcohol level)– regardless of whether your ability to operate a motor vehicle was really impaired. (Occasionally the term “blood alcohol level” (BAL) is used instead of BAC.) Nonetheless, a motorist can also get a DUI for driving while damaged to “some level” as the outcome of ingesting alcohol, medicines, or any type of mix of these.

If you are visiting from out of town, you may not be familiar with some of the terms used to described a drinking and driving arrest.  For example, Florida does not have a charge of OWI like Wisconsin or Michigan, nor does Florida have an aggravated DUI like Arizona.