Maryland DUI Attorney Blog

http://www.mdattorney.com/lawyer-attorney-1301140.htmlhttp://www.mdattorney.com/lawyer-attorney-1301140.htmlSome of the most difficult Maryland DUI/DWI cases that Maryland DUI/DWI Attorneys are called upon to handle are cases in which the offender has prior convictions for Driving Under the Influence or Driving While Impaired. These people are known as "repeat offenders" and are, as one would expect, generally treated far more harshly than people charged for the first time. State's Attorney's typically seek jail terms for people with one or more prior convictions and file enhanced penalties which allow for sentences of up to 3 years instead of just 1 year which is the maximum penalty if the State has not filed the enhanced penalties. This week I kept an offender with four prior convictions out of jail in spite of the fact that the State had a virtually bullet proof case against him. I will explain momentarily but first a few general observations about representing repeat offenders in Maryland.

Continue reading "Fifth Time DUI/DWI Repeat Offender Successfully Defended" »

Any Experienced, Aggressive Maryland DUI/DWI Attorney will tell you that courts in Maryland and throughout the nation are getting tougher and tougher on people convicted or even charged with multiple offenses for Driving Under the Influence or Driving While Impaired by Alcohol. People in this situation are increasingly being hit with significant bails and ultimately increasing long prison terms. No longer are the days that a person charged with his or her second or third offense can count on being released on their personal recognizance and receiving probation.

A particularly shocking example of this trend is the DUI/DWI case that I was hired for on Tuesday. The client was picked up for DUI/DWI on Sunday night. He allegedly made a right turn on red at an intersection where doing so was prohibited. He pulled over immediately and was totally cooperative and polite throughout the investigation. After not performing the field sobriety tests to the satisfaction of the officer he was arrested and taken to Central Booking. Sometime on Monday morning he saw a court commission who set his bail at $10,000.

At this point his wife attempted to post their home for the bail but was told by the commissioner that they had insufficient equity. The reason for this is that the court calculates the equity in a home by subtracting the outstanding mortgage from the tax assessment value of the home. The tax assessment value is almost always substantially less than the market value of the home.

Continue reading "Repeat Offender in Maryland DUI/DWI Case Held Without Bail" »