College Park DWI Lawyer
A DWI is an abbreviation of driving while impaired. It is not driving while intoxicated which is the federal standards and what most states use. In College Park, driving while impaired suggests that the person is driving a vehicle and their driving ability was impaired by alcohol. They may very well be under the legal limit at .06 or .07 BAC, but that in its own right is an offense and the person can be convicted for a DWI. A College Park DUI attorney can help you better understand the legal restrictions regarding alcohol consumption as it pertains to operating a motor vehicle.
DWI Prosecution in College Park
A DWI is treated the same way as a DUI. All the evidences and the way it is prosecuted are treated very, very strictly. It is a stern judge who oversees any case, but more so with DUIs because they are preventable. For a DWI, the maximum penalty for a first offense is sixty days in jail and a $500 fine. Any subsequent offense thereafter as long as the state files a subsequent offender notice.
Defending College Park DWI Charges
The steps are the same as in any DUI related offense, DUI, or DWI. What is the cause for the officer’s traffic stop? What is the probable cause? What is his or her observation for stopping the vehicle? With the initial contact, what, if any, observations were made? The person’s scores on any standard field sobriety test are also very important. Noting the performance and the notes of the performance, and if any breath was taken at the scene, it would not be admissible. Road-side portable breath tests aren’t considered. But if any breath is taken from the person at a station or barrack, that may be admissible in that particular hearing.
The number one factor that an experienced attorney will look into is arresting officer’s reason for making the stop. There will be questions of reasonable suspision and how that factored into the entire arrest and charge procedure.
Hiring a College Park DWI Attorney
Just as a DUI is very important with regards to how it affects one’s permanent records, so is a DWI charge. Maryland allows that a charge exists at lower level DUIs. With a .06 or .07 BAC, a person still may have a permanent mark on their records that stays there forever. A DUI, just like a DWI, is rarely expungable. The charge can be expunged if the probation before judgment is recieved 15 years after the date the petitioner was discharged from probation.
Why Choose Seth Okin?
Below, Seth Okin speaks on his experience and what he brings to a client’s defense during a DWI case in College Park:
I have substantial amount of experience in Prince George’s County. I have been practicing in that county since I became an attorney and I do an incredibly a high volume of cases there. Being in that county on a regular basis gives me the opportunity to know every judge, every state’s attorney. I also get to know all the officers and even more important, I know the area very well. In the College Park area, I am incredibly familiar with streets and places where a large number of the DUI events occur.
There is a need to know how to operate in the counties. An attorney cannot blindly walk into court with no idea about what is going on. He or she must have a good background and know that there are some judges who should be avoided. There are some judges who may lean more toward the state than the defense. There may be judges who don’t lean either way. Inevitably, an attorney must be able to provide their client with a lot of information. My clients love that I have that experience and knowledge. They love that I am available, especially students with schedules that could be very pressing and erratic.
I am available early in the morning and late in the evening. I do work on weekends, so if there is a time that is much more convenient for them; I try to make myself available. A DWI is a very stressful thing to go through. If a person doesn’t have an attorney who responds to them, it only increases the stress on the client. My clients love that I am accessible.
