Tenth Tennessee DUI arrest threatens man’s future
The system is tough on drunk driving, even on first-time offenders. Add subsequent DUI arrests to a person’s record, and he has some extremely serious consequences potentially before him.
A repeat drunk driving offense doesn’t automatically lead to a felony-status charge. It takes four Tennessee DUI arrests for someone to be charged with felony DUI related to multiple offenses. One driver in the state has not just four, but ten drunk driving strikes on his record.
Last Friday, a 55-year-old driver was pulled over for supposed erratic driving when the traffic stop escalated to a DUI investigation. Not only did the suspect reportedly not pass the sobriety tests, but the officer looked up the man’s record and found that he was legally not supposed to be driving in the first place.
Because of past traffic violations, including several convictions of drunk driving, the suspect’s driver’s license was revoked. He legally is prohibited from driving. The combination of conditions makes for a serious threat against the defendant’s future.
In Tennessee, a felony DUI conviction would put the defendant in prison for at least 150 days, though he could be sentenced to more time. He likely won’t come by a valid driver’s license for at least several years.
Even someone with a record like this defendant deserves an aggressive defense against the charges before him. Sometimes the fight is a fight to avoid a conviction altogether. Sometimes the fight is a fight to mitigate sentencing. Sometimes the fight is a fight that seeks alcohol treatment and counseling.
A DUI defense attorney can help a defendant determine the best course of action. Our lawyers fight for those charged with various levels of drunk driving charges, including a felony DUI or a first-time offense.
Source: WGNS Murfreesboro Radio, “Man charged by Murfreesboro Police with D.U.I. number 10,” Jan. 28. 2013