An extreme DUI is any time when your blood alcohol content is .150 to .199. A third offense means you have two prior DUI convictions within the previous seven years, and those other DUIs do not have to be extreme DUIs; they can be any DUI conviction within the past seven years.
Watch as David Cantor explains the punishments for a 3rd Offense Extreme DUI in Arizona:
Technically, if you get your third DUI in seven years of any type it can be charged as a felony, or an aggravated DUI. The consequences can mean four months in prison as well as many other consequences. Occasionally, cities will charge you with a misdemeanor DUI and keep it in the city court system. If they do keep it in the city system, then the standard offer will be six months in jail (not prison), which allows you to obtain a work release for 12 hours, five days a week. The city may keep it in their misdemeanor jurisdiction because there is a proof problem with one or both of your previous DUIs. For example, there may be an out-of-state prior, and many times there are no fingerprints taken at the time you plea; there may be no attorney waiver in the file; or there may be no guilty plea proceeding form on the record. That means in order to prove the prior many times they would have to fly someone in from out of state, to make the prior admissible. That’s why it is important to get an attorney who knows how to challenge and attack prior convictions.
If you are convicted of a third offense misdemeanor extreme DUI, you will be sentenced to 180 days in jail, and the jail time will cost you $14,500. The fines associated with a 3rd Offense Extreme DUI will be $4,649. Just the fine and jail costs alone will be almost $20,000. There are other repercussions as well – your commercial driver’s license will be gone. If you are a healthcare provider, legal professional, real estate agent, hold an SEC license, or work with the government or military, you will probably be suspended or fired depending upon your occupation. You will also have to attend 36 substance abuse classes ($585), install an ignition interlock device for at least two years ($2,400), and have your license suspended for at least one year.
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If you choose to drive once you get your license back, your car insurance will go up $3,000 per year for the next three years ($9,000) and you’ll have to maintain an SR-22 policy on your car as well which is $500 per year for three years ($1,500). Go to our website at DMCantor.com and visit the Victory section – you’ll see how many extreme DUIs and second- and third-offense extreme DUIs we have beaten. Many times we are able to eliminate the prior DUIs, and then the 3rd Offense Extreme DUI charge can be reduced to a first offense. That drops the jail term from 180 days to 30. If reduced to a first offense regular DUI, then this also means one day in jail which will drop the costs from $26,000 to just $4,000.
Let’s review the punishment for a 3rd Offense Extreme DUI in Arizona:
- 180 days in prison, with no work release available
- $14,500 In Jail Costs
- $4,649 in Fines
- $1,500 for SR-22 Policy for three years
- $3,000 annual insurance increase for the next three years
- License suspension for at least one year
It’s important to hire a DUI defense attorney who knows what he is doing. Visit DMCantor.com and you can see our qualifications Please fill out a contact form to set-up a free initial office consultation. You can also call us (602) 307-0808 to schedule an appointment. If this applies to you, a loved one or a family member, give us a call – we would love to help you out.
The post Third Offense Extreme DUI Penalties Arizona appeared first on Arizona Criminal Law & Defense Blog.
