Asheville 2nd DUI Lawyer

Asheville Second DUI Attorney

In Asheville, NC, getting around with your vehicle is critical to driving your life forward. Whether you need to get to work, drive your children to school, carry out household tasks, or engage in recreational activities, having the right to operate a vehicle brings mobility and freedom to daily life. Therefore, after facing a 2nd DUI, North Carolinians may be stressed about what impact the charges will have on their rights to drive.

A 2nd or higher DUI conviction can result in longer periods of jail time and large fines, in addition to license suspension. Therefore, if you are going up against criminal charges for drunk driving in Asheville, it’s critical to work with a defense lawyer who has years of experience defending cases similar to yours.

The Asheville DUI defense lawyers at Edwards Law, PLLC know how to navigate the local court system and leverage their knowledge of North Carolina law in order to ensure that you have a strong defense. Our firm is ready to help you identify any flaws in the prosecution against you and make sure that your rights are being protected along the way.

Factors That Can Result in More Serious Consequences For A 2nd Asheville DUI Offense

Once you get a 2nd DUI or higher within the past 7 years, this means that you are a repeat offender. While repeat offenses can worsen the consequences of a DUI conviction, there are also aggravating factors that can contribute to more serious consequences as well. Some aggravating factors include the following:

• Having a minor in the car during the time that you are pulled over for the DUI.
• Seriously injuring or even killing another person as a result of your DUI.
• Being pulled over for a DUI where you were driving even though your license was revoked.

Other aggravating factors that can result in more severe consequences but are not as serious as the aggravating factors mentioned above include the following:

• Having a BAC level greater than or equal to 0.15.
• Driving negligently, leading to an accident reported by someone.
• Driving recklessly and putting others in unwonted danger.
• Trying to escape law enforcement by increasing your speed.

Such factors can greatly increase the consequences associated with a DUI conviction, even raising it from a misdemeanor to a felony level. While fines, jail time, and license suspension period are greater with more severe charges, so are the long-term social consequences that the charges can have on your life. For example, a felony DUI conviction can result in a loss of job, housing, and educational opportunities, as well as impact your reputation in your family and community.

Factors That Can Help Reduce the Consequences of Your 2nd Asheville DUI Offense

While there are certain factors that can lead to worse consequences for a DUI offense conviction, there are also some conditions that can ameliorate the situation by reducing the sentencing level of a DUI charge, including:

• You have a clear driving record for the past 5 years prior to the incident of the DUI charge.
• You were under the influence of a medication that was prescribed to you.
• You are above the age of 21, and your BAC level was less than 0.09 at the traffic stop.
• You choose to volunteer in an alcohol or drug treatment program or both.
• You choose to agree to a DWI Assessment upon charges and follow recommendations for rehabilitation, if necessary.

An experienced 2nd DUI lawyer in Asheville, NC, can help you understand what the mitigating and aggravating factors are in your DUI case and how this could contribute to the outcome of your case.

FAQs About Asheville, NC 2nd DUI Laws

How Can You Defend An NC DWI Charge?

In North Carolina, the strategies that you can employ to defend DWI charges will depend on a range of factors, including your driving and criminal record, whether there are any aggravating or mitigating factors in your cases and the validity of evidence collected against you. Some common defense strategies in NC include questioning whether there was probable cause for your arrest and whether your rights were infringed upon during the traffic stop.

Is It Possible To Get An NC DWI Completely Dropped?

It is possible to get an NC DWI charge dropped; however, this will depend on the circumstances of your case, including evidence related to your traffic stop and whether you have had previous DUIs or not. A passionate Asheville DUI defense lawyer can help determine the weaknesses in the case against you and help determine whether or not your charges can be dropped or if other defense strategies should be employed.

How Long Will My DWI Stay on My NC Criminal Record?

In North Carolina, if you are convicted of a DUI, this will stay on your record indefinitely. However, there are some strategies to petition to get charges dropped or expunged. It’s important to speak with an experienced DUI lawyer to determine whether expungement or record sealing is a viable option for you.

How Long Will My License Be Revoked After My 1st DWI Conviction?

In the state of North Carolina, if you get convicted of DWI charges for the first time, then your license will be taken away for one year. In the case that you get charged with another DWI during the time that your license is revoked, then it is possible to have your vehicle permanently seized.

Get The Asheville 2nd Offense DUI Defense You Need

DUI charges can be overwhelming, especially if you are unsure about the implications of your charges based on repeat offenses and aggravating factors. At Edwards Law, PLLC, our legal professionals will hear your questions and concerns and take into account all of the details of your case in order to create a defense strategy that will optimize your case outcome.

You do not have to face your 2nd offense DUI charges alone. The earlier you contact a defense lawyer, the more likely you are to address all of the relevant procedures in your case and have time to prepare your DUI defense strategies. Reach out to a DUI attorney at Edwards Law, PLLC, today to learn more about how you could potentially get your charges reduced or even dropped.