Third Time DUI Charges in Anne Arundel County
Just like first and second offense DUI charges, third offense DUI charges are native to the District Court.
It’s almost unheard of for a prosecutor to drop a third offense DUI charge. As a general rule, they don’t offer diversion, they don’t offer nolle prosequi’s, and they don’t offer stets for third offense DUI charges. They would much rather try a case and lose it than dismiss the case when it’s a third offense. For this reason, along with the increased penalties, it is important you consult with an Anne Arundel DUI lawyer as soon as possible after you are accused.
How Does Anne Arundel Treat Third Offense DUI Cases?
Significantly more harshly than they treat second offense DUI charges. Incarceration on the third offense is much more common than a second offense. Frequently the courts will not allow weekend incarceration that they’ll require some type of time of straight time and there’s a lot of variation between judges in Anne Arundel County as to how they would sentence a third offense. Sentencing on the third offense can range from 30 days to 60 days, depending on the facts might even be more. There are few judges who will allow weekends on the third offense but that’s definitely the exception and not the rule.
Building a Defense in Third Offense DUI Cases in Anne Arundel
The first thing that a DUI attorney should do is look for a way to beat the State’s case. This involves examining the reasonable suspicion to stop a client’s vehicle, analyzing the probable cause the officer uses to justify the arrest, looking at a client’s performance on the breathalyzer test as well as any field sobriety tests, and finally examining the certifications and calibration of the breathalyzer machine as well.
What to Look For in An Anne Arundel Third DUI Lawyer
There’re two things that you should look for in a lawyer for third offense DUI case in Anne Arundel.
One, you should look for a lawyer who knows DUI. You should look for somebody who does a lot of DUI, work who has a lot of experience handling these types of cases because there’s a lot of very specific knowledge the goes in to understanding and evaluating a DUI case. It isn’t the same as analyzing an assault case or analyzing a prostitution case. There’s a lot of scientific evidence that you need to consider for DUI case in terms of breathalyzer evidence. There’s a lot of specialized knowledge in terms of field sobriety test that comes into play when analyzing a DUI case that isn’t present in lots of other cases.
The second thing that an individual should look for is county-specific knowledge. You definitely want to look for a lawyer who has experience in the county where you’re charged, who knows the judges, who knows the prosecutors, who knows who is good to hear certain arguments and who’s not. Both of those are equally important in hiring an attorney for a third offense DUI in Anne Arundel County.