Skilled Criminal Defense Lawyer
In Michigan, drunk driving is a serious crime with potentially serious consequences. If you have been charged with drunk driving or any alcohol-related driving offense (often referred to as OWI, OVI, OWVI, DUI, DWI, OUIL or UBAC), even as a first-time offender, it is important to take these charges seriously.
Come to the Shimmell Law Offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more than 15 years, attorney Dennis Shimmell has been providing skilled criminal defense representation for people accused of drunk driving and other traffic offenses. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation regarding your drunk driving charges.
Providing Thorough and Effective Representation for Drunk Driving Charges
When you come to our offices, we will take the time to understand the exact circumstances leading to your arrest. Your prior criminal record and the particular events of the current incident will play a large role in determining your options - we'll make sure that we know all of the relevant details before offering recommendations.
In many drunk driving cases, the evidence supporting a conviction is strong. Regardless of the evidence against you though, there is no such thing as a hopeless case. Police officers are required to follow strict procedures and respect your constitutional rights. If they fail to follow these procedures, or there are other mistakes throughout the process, we can use these errors to mitigate the consequences of your drunk driving charges.
The consequences for multiple drunk driving offenses are more severe than those for the first offense. As a second-time offender, you may face a high court misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and driver's license revocation. A third drunk driving charge (or third charge for certain other alcohol-related offenses) is charged as a felony. It does not matter how long ago the prior convictions were.
Because the consequences become increasingly severe, it is important to aggressively protect your rights and interests even on a first offense. If you aren't convicted of a first drunk driving offense, you may never need to worry about a felony charge on a second or third offense.
If you have been charged with drunk driving, come to our offices for a confidential consultation with an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.