Being arrested for drinking under the influence or DUI can be scary, especially if it's your first time. You may feel you are being treated unfairly. You may still get arrested even if you have only had one drink because you might not have performed well in the field sobriety test or you blew over the legal limit on the breathalyzer.
If you have been arrested for DUI for the first time, here are some things you can expect to happen.
Booked Into the Jail
Once you have been arrested, you will be taken to the police station or jail and booked. This means, they will take a photograph of your face and profile, also known as mugshots, your fingerprints will be taken, and you will be placed in a holding cell. There are some states that do allow for release once you are booked and bail is set, other states will make you sober up before releasing you.
Appearance In Court
You will be given a summons to appear in court. If you were allowed to go home immediately after your booking, you will be given a ticket that tells you the date and time to appear. Other times, you will have to appear in court for a bail hearing in which the judge will set your bail and then give you the date and time for your court date to face the charges.
During your trial, you can expect to see a video of you performing the field sobriety test and being administered the breathalyzer. This video could also be from the jail where you can expect another breathalyzer, which is sometimes the one used in court.
If You Are Convicted Of DUI
If you are convicted of DUI, you can expect to lose your license, even for a first-time conviction, for a period of time. If you are a habitual offender, then you could lose it permanently. Some states allow you to still drive to work or school if you have no other means of getting there.
You will have to pay a fine. The judge will determine how much you will have to pay from a set of minimum and maximum fines defined by your state. If you damaged property, injured someone, or endangered the life of a child while driving drunk, those fines could be much higher.
You may face jail time. In some states, this is mandatory even for first-time offenders. This will be true, especially if you injured someone while driving drunk. Once you have completed your jail time, you will have to complete probation. You may receive probation without jail time in many states. There may be a fee associated with doing probation in your state. This covers administration costs.
You will also have to undergo an alcohol evaluation to see how bad your drinking problem is. Also, you will most likely attend drunk driving school.
For more information, reach out to an attorney such as those at Daniels Long & Pinsel today.
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