In Long Island in May 2012, a 51-year-old man allegedly hit a 76-year-old woman and her 78-year-old husband with his car. The Merrick couple was walking across the road while holding hands. They were both injured, and the driver was taken into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated. Reports say that his blood-alcohol content at the time of the pedestrian accident was .20 percent, which is more than twice the state’s legal limit.
After pleading guilty to the that charge, the man was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence. Since 1981, police have taken the man into custody on charges of DWI 12 times, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.
Those accused of multiple drunk driving charges may face penalties that increase with each conviction. For example, if an individual was convicted of DWI in the past 10 years, new charges will usually be increased to a felony under New York laws. Penalties related to felony charges may be more severe, and a conviction of a felony might result in the loss of some of an individual’s civil rights.
When helping individuals who are facing multiple DWI convictions such as the man in the case above, an attorney may be able to represent their interests in and out of court. In some cases, that attorney might be able to build a case that defends a client from additional convictions by casting doubt on evidence offered by the prosecution. Such an attorney may also be able to determine if a client’s rights were infringed while being brought into custody, which may lead charges being thrown out of court.
Source: CBS, “6 Years In Prison For L.I. Man Convicted Of 12th DWI“, December 07, 2013
