Did you or a loved one get arrested for drunk driving in Oklahoma? We put together these 6 DUI tips you should know. Read them and call us!
1) Choosing a DUI Attorney
It’s clear in Oklahoma that the system is set up where you’re going to have to hire a lawyer for your driving under the influence charge. Selecting a good DUI lawyer is important. You need to find a lawyer who has experience in DUI law. They have to be in court on a regular basis. They have to have been successful in dealing with license issues as well as suppressing evidence which lead to a DUI arrest. You need to find a lawyer that you like, a lawyer who answers your questions, a lawyer who’s available for you or their staff is available for you when you have issues. Choose a lawyer who’s going to be there for you in a year when you come off probation to help you get everything off your record and help you be able to have a clean criminal record. As you go to interviews for jobs, any type of criminal record might be the difference between getting the job and not getting the job. There’s nothing more frustrating than to hire a lawyer and a year later you can’t find that lawyer to help you get these things off your record. Make sure you have a lawyer with a good track record in the community where you are charged in. Make sure that he has staff that can adequately advise you and take care of you.
2) DUI Penalties
In Oklahoma, if it’s your first offense with a DUI, it’s going to be a one-year sentence or one-year jail, but most of the time it’s deferred. You’re going to have to do a drug and alcohol evaluation, an alcohol, drug, and substance abuse course, and 20 hours of community service.
You’re going to have to pay court costs and fines. You’re going to have to be on probation. You’re going to have to pay the district attorney $40 a month and the Oklahoma court services $40 a month during probation. You’re going to have to do a class called Victims’ Impact. It’s about mad mothers. You have to go and listen to how drunk driving changed their lives and their family’s lives forever. It can be expensive. You have to pay for all those classes before you can take them. If you don’t pay the things you’re supposed to, and do the things you’re supposed to, the district attorney can move to file a motion to make this a conviction which would permanently be on your record. You really want to take care of business. I believe it’s a mirror image of your life. If you take care of your responsibilities in this process, you’re going to do well in life. It doesn’t go away. Address it head on and resolve it.
3) Second DUI Penalties
In Oklahoma, when you’re charged with your second DUI, it depends on what jurisdiction you get charged in. A lot of times, with your first DUI, you would have gotten a deferred sentence. For the second DUI, you’re probably going to get a conviction that we will not be able to take off your record. It will be on your record permanently. Anytime that you get another DUI, it’s going to be a felony DUI. The second DUI is going to be a conviction. You might have some jail time, but not a lot. It’s definitely becoming more serious and signals that you have a problem.
4) Third Offense DUI Penalties
In Oklahoma, if you get charged with a third DUI, and all the DUIs have been within 10 years, there’s a very good chance that that’s going to be a felony and a very good chance you might have some jail time, or you might be ordered to go to inpatient treatment or some significant alcohol rehab.
5) Aggravated DUI
An aggravated DUI is a DUI that happens when your breath alcohol content is measured at 0.15 or more. You measure your BAC with what they call a breathalyzer. They take you to the police station; you blow into this machine. It quantifies your alcohol in your breath. You also get an aggravated DUI if you refuse to take the breathalyzer test. It’s a no-win situation if you’re seriously are impaired. A lot of times, it pays to take the test as opposed not to take the test.
6) DUI with a Child in the Car
If you are drinking and driving and you have children in the car, then there are a lot of things that are going to happen. One, you’re going to be charged with a DUI. You’ll also be charged with endangering a child. There’s a good chance the Department of Human Services will come in and take the child away from you. Either call another parent, call a family, or put the child in foster care. It’s a dangerous situation and it will not be taken lightly by the courts. They want to protect children. The bigger situation will probably be with the Department of Human Services and the custody and placement of your child.
Did you or a loved one get arrested for drunk driving in Oklahoma and have questions about these 6 DUI tips that you should know? Contact a Stillwater DUI lawyer at Murray Law Firm today for a free confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience work for you.
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