If you’ve been charged with a DUI in Collierville, TN, you should be aware of the consequences. Drunk driving is taken seriously by the state of Tennessee, and having a Collierville DUI attorney to advise you can improve your chances of a favorable outcome. So before you go to court, let’s review the laws.
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A first offense DUI in Tennessee is a class A misdemeanor punishable up to 11 months and 29 days. Being convicted means a mandatory minimum 48 hours in jail, minus jail time served after being arrested.
If your blood alcohol content (BAC) is above a certain level it is a minimum seven days in jail. You must serve the remainder of the 11 months/29 days on probation, so if you served 48 hours in jail you’d go on probation for 11 months/27 days.
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There is a minimum fine of $350, license revocation for one year, alcohol safety school, and you may be ordered to install an ignition interlock device.
A second offense DUI in Tennessee gets even steeper. It is again an 11 month/29 day sentence, but the minimum jail time is now 45 days. The remainder of the sentence is served on probation. The fine is a minimum $600, and a maximum of $3500. Your license would be revoked for two years, and you could not apply for a restricted license for at least one year. That means one year without a driver’s license, period. An ignition interlock device must be installed and kept on even after your probation is over, and your car may be seized and forfeited.
A third offense DUI in Tennessee carries a minimum of 120 days in jail, a fine of $1100-$10,000, and license revocation for six years with no restricted license at all in that time. That means six years with no license. Additionally, your car may be seized and forfeited.
With punishment this serious, it should be clear that you need an experienced Collierville DUI attorney on your side when you go to court. Can you afford to lose your license? Can you afford to be convicted and possibly lose your job, your freedom? Your Collierville DUI defense attorney can examine every aspect of the case, from the moment the police put on the blue lights to when they told you you’re under arrest.
If you submitted to a blood or breath test, your lawyer can review the procedures for how that test was done. You might think that science never lies, but it can. It is not as reliable as the government wants you to believe. Mistakes are made in DUI cases. Finding them could be the key to your freedom. You owe it to yourself to get the best chance possible of challenging your case.
I’m Patrick Stegall, a Collierville, TN DUI lawyer, and I can give you that chance. I’ve dedicated my career to analyzing the mistakes made in DUI arrests, and helping secure freedom for my clients. Please contact me by email at pstegall@stegall-law.com or by phone at (901) 205-9894.
