Third Offense DWI in Missouri
HAVE YOU BEEN ARRESTED FOR A 3rd DWI?
A third offense DWI in Missouri carries significant consequences. Your freedom is at stake and the lawyer you choose could mean avoiding jail. You need a lawyer who knows how to analyze your driving record and prior DWI history in order to design a proper defense.
You ONLY have 15 days to file a Request for an Administrative Hearing or a Petition for Review in order to prevent your driver's license from being suspended or revoked.
How Many DWIs is a Felony in Missouri?
A 3rd DWI is a felony charge known as a DWI Persistent Offender in Missouri. With it comes tougher penalties if you are found guilty. Even if you get probation , you will still have to serve a month in jail or complete 60 days of community service. You also risk losing your license for 10 Years, up to a $10,000 fine, spending 30 days to 1 year in jail or up to 4 years in prison, and continuous alcohol monitoring as well as higher insurance premiums. For more information about Felony DWI penalties see our Missouri DWI Laws page.
A third DWI offense requires a dedicated and experienced Felony DWI Attorney to protect your rights. Anthony Bretz has spent over 17 years representing clients charged with Felony DWI's in St. Louis County, Jefferson County, and St. Charles County. He has succeeded in getting his clients' Felony DWI charges reduced to Misdemeanors or dismissed outright.
How to Avoid Jail Time for 3rd DWI?
I have honed my skills in the courtroom and I understand what it takes to help my clients succeed.
You don't win felony DWI cases by looking for shortcuts and the easy way out. My job is to give my clients their best opportunity to avoid jail time for a 3rd DWI.
I do this by fighting the administrative action just as hard as the criminal case. I get the officer's statement on the record in the license case, and again at the Preliminary Hearing. I take depositions of the arresting officer and any medical professionals involved to highlight inconsistencies in the record to weaken the State's case against you.
DWI Legal Strategies
Successful legal strategies for DWI offenses often include a combination of the following: challenging the basis for the underlying stop, examining the written reports and video evidence to cross-examine the officer about his training, observations, and administration and grading of Field Sobriety Tests, challenging the breathalyzer results and accuracy of the breathalyzer machine. Other strategies involve questioning the blood sample gathering for compliance with state requirements and making sure the chain-of-custody is followed; and, determining whether you may have any medical conditions which could mimic intoxication or make you ineligible for field sobriety tests.
If you've been arrested with a felony DWI, including a 3rd DWI, you need to have an aggressive DWI defense attorney like Anthony Bretz representing you before you go to court. Contact me now for a free consultation.