Your Legal Rights Following a New Year’s Eve DUI Charge

 Posted on January 14, 2018 in Driving Under the Influence

On New Year’s Day, there is a contingent of individuals both in Connecticut and the nation at large who are dealing with a DUI charge instead of mulling over new year’s resolutions at brunch. It is a most unpleasant way to begin 2018, yet is a reality that must be addressed promptly and professionally. This is the case for any DUI charge, and especially for a second, third, or subsequent charge. Multiple DUI convictions are punished strictly in Connecticut, with thousands of dollars and fines and several years of prison time being all too real possibilities. If are beginning the new year with the headache of a New Year’s Eve DUI charge, rely on an experienced Fairfield County DUI attorney to protect your legal rights.

Connecticut Utilizes a Ten-Year Window with Regard to Repeat DUI Convictions

The measure for what constitutes a “repeat” DUI conviction in the state of Connecticut, is the ten years following your first DUI conviction. In other words, the ten-year clock begins running from the time of your first conviction. During this ten-year period, if you are convicted o DUI for a second, third, or subsequent time, you will face more serious consequences than if the new conviction occurred more than ten years after your first conviction. Specifically, for a second DUI conviction within ten years of the first, a fine between $1,000 and $4,000 will be imposed, as well as a jail sentence between 120 days and two years, a minimum of 100 hours of community service, and a three-year suspension of your driver’s license. In addition, you may be required to install an ignition interlock device at your own expense for a two-year period after your license is reinstated. Penalties for a third DUI conviction are still more severe, and include a fine between $2,000 and $8,000, a jail sentence between one and three years, 100 hours of community service, and the permanent revocation of your driver’s license.

Protecting Your Legal Rights Following a Repeat DUI Charge in Connecticut

If you have been charged with DUI in Connecticut for the second or third time in the last ten years, it is critical that you rely on an experienced Norwalk DUI defense attorney to protect your legal rights. An experienced attorney will hold the state to its requirements of probable cause and the unfailing respect of your constitutional rights.

Source:

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0319.htm