On behalf of Raymond V. Giudice, P.C. posted in Drunk Driving on Thursday, November 29, 2012
While drunk driving charges are always taken seriously by Georgia's prosecutors, there are a few types of cases that can result in the most severe penalties. These include second and subsequent DUI offenses. To put it simply, if an Atlanta resident is arrested for a DUI and it is not his or her first offense, things might be harder this time around.
The stakes are also very high for any DUI charges that involve car accidents, injuries or children. One Gwinnett County woman recently found this out when she was arrested last week for a second-offense DUI--with her 4-year-old daughter in the backseat this time.
The 23-year-old woman from Lawrenceville was arrested early in the morning on Nov. 18 after an officer reportedly saw her driving somewhat erratically. After the officer pulled the woman over, he noticed a child in the backseat without the proper restraints.
The woman was arrested after taking a field sobriety test and a breath test, which registered at .193, more than twice the legal limit.
The woman had been arrested about a month earlier when she was sitting in a parked car. In that first incident she was charged with a DUI, and now for the second arrest she faces charges of DUI, child endangerment, failure to drive in a single lane, not having a child in a safety seat and not having a tag light.
These types of charges can result not only in fines, license suspension and possibly jail time, but they can also affect one's career opportunities and parenting rights. While we do not have all of the facts about this particular case, we do know that some DUI charges stem from alcoholism, which is an addiction, and traditional consequences for drunk driving are not always effective to treat this problem.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Gwinnett mom gets DUI charge with child in car," Alexis Stevens, Nov. 19, 2012
- Our Atlanta law firm protects the rights of those charged with DUI, always pursuing the best possible outcome in a given case. More information about our practice is available on our Multiple-Offense DUI page.