If you’ve been charged with DUI you probably are very interested in whether or not you will be offered a plea to a reduced charge. Probably the most commonly used reduction for a South Carolina DUI is reckless driving. But, is the prosecutor just going to offer this to you?
Many people think that just because they have never had a prior DUI means that they will be offered a reduced charge automatically. This is not true. If this is your first DUI, then the charge will be handled in a court and assigned to a prosecutor who likely only does first offense cases. For example in Lexington all DUI 1st arrests made by the Highway Patrol or Sheriff’s Department are brought in DUI court. Additionally first offense DUI’s are also seen in area city courts such as Irmo, West Columbia, Cayce, and Lexington.
What this means is that every other DUI handled in the same court and by the same prosecutor is also going to be a first offense. Just because it’s your first time means that your case is exactly like every other case that they are handling (and remember, DUI court appearances can involve 30-50 cases at once!).
DUI has also been referred to as a “good guy crime.” Unlike other criminal offenses (like theft, child abuse, or drug dealing), prosecutors know that you don’t have to be bad person to be charged. So the fact that you might be a nurse, school teacher, engineer, or military veteran isn’t going to impress them either.
You only get one chance at a successful outcome of your DUI case. Under South Carolina’s new expungement rules DUI convictions can never, ever, be removed from your record. So a conviction not only affects your license for several months, raises your insurance for several years, but also can potentially affect your employment prospects the rest of your life. As serious as all of this is, you owe it to yourself to do everything you can for your case.
Contact us today at 1-888-301-6004 for a free consultation. You’ll get to personally meet with an experienced area DUI defense attorney, who will answer all of your questions. You’ll also learn how our DUI defense system has helped hundreds of other clients achieve a positive outcome. Remember, a thorough understanding of DUI law and police tactics, combined with the availability of an aggressive courtroom strategy, can lead to outcomes first thought impossible.
No lawyer can ever make you a promise or guarantee about how your specific case will turn out, and you should not allow the following to create an expectation that you will receive similar results. It is necessary to carefully consider the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client's case before coming up with an opinion or any estimation of potential outcomes. Although criminal cases can be favorably resolved for the defendant, cases also may result in convictions, jail or prison sentences, fines, and criminal records.