One man in Colorado recently pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and has received probation. He has five previous DUI convictions. Some people in Colorado have expressed their feelings that the mandatory punishment for DUI in the state should be stricter for repeat offenders.
The 54-year-old man who pleaded guilty was arrested after his pickup truck was seen moving erratically at around 2:20 a.m. on a March morning. The man failed field sobriety tests, and his blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.235 percent. This level is nearly triple the limit at which a motorist is deemed drunk, and it is almost five times the limit at which a motorist is deemed to be alcohol impaired.
The man entered a guilty plea for felony driving under the influence. The prosecution sought a prison sentence of four years, since the man had been convicted of driving under the influence five times already. However, a judge ended up sentencing the man to probation for five years, as well as community service for 75 hours. Colorado became one of 46 states to create a law for felony driving under the influence last year, but Colorado’s law did not mandate time behind bars for most repeat DUI offenders — something that has sparked outrage in some members of the population.
When people in Colorado are arrested for driving under the influence, they are always presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty. The stakes of a DUI conviction can be high, depending on the circumstances surrounding a case, and even if it does not result in jail time, it can mar a person’s criminal record and make it challenging for him or her to find jobs in the future. The criminal defense team in such a case will strive for the most personally favorable outcome for the accused while also ensuring that his or her rights are protected.
Source: kdvr.com, “Aurora man pleads guilty to sixth DUI, sentenced to probation“, Chuck Hickey and Keagan Harsha, Aug. 9, 2016