A quirk of the court system has allowed a man who racked up four DUIs in a year to receive a very light sentence. The defendant was given a DUI citation for driving at twice the legal limit and having cocaine in his system in December 2013. By the time September came around he had three more DUIs. In May, he was bounced from a bar for trespassing and drug possession.

He confessed to all the charges when he was finally brought before a judge. However, he only received time served, inpatient rehab, and two years of probation. Why couldn’t the judge give more punishment in such a case? All of the drunk driving offenses were considered a first arrest because he had never been sentenced for the first one. That law was changed at the beginning of this year, but because the offenses happened before the change the old rules applied.

The judge told the defendant that if a similar thing happened this year he could have been sent to state prison. Montgomery County is cracking down hard on DUI drivers. Repeat offenders are all assigned to one prosecutor and they are working to revoke bail for those who are arrested for a second DUI. They are also trying to make operating a vehicle a bail violation and make offenders surrender their license as a bail condition.

Considering the long time it took for this man to be seen in court, removing someone’s license beforehand puts a huge burden on people who haven’t even had their day in court. It is clear that legislators and prosecutors are working even harder to make the lives of suspected DUI drivers even more difficult than it already is.

That’s why it’s so important to have a skilled attorney on your side. Steven Kellis can help you with your DUI case. Call today for a free consultation or browse through our website for more information.