Consequences of DUI If You Are on Probation for a DUI in Riverside County
A DUI conviction in Riverside is a life-changing event. You suddenly find yourself facing a myriad of criminal penalties, fines, as well as a social stigma that can cause hardships among your friends and family members.
However, these harsh consequences only get worse if you’ve previously been convicted of DUI. Of the over 170,000 DUI arrests made state-wide in 2012, more than 10,000 were made in the county of Riverside. In 2014, over 25% of DUI arrests involved persons who were previously convicted of DUI.1
If you are on probation for DUI in Riverside and have been charged with a second DUI, it is vital that you immediately contact an experienced DUI attorney who can help defend you against these charges.
DUI Probation in Riverside County
In most cases, those convicted of DUI in Riverside are granted probation, which allows them to avoid jail time. Probation for DUI in Riverside can last between one and five years, and comes with a variety of conditions, which could include:
- You do not commit any additional offenses while on probation
- If you are arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, you must submit to a blood-alcohol concentration test, and
- You do not drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in your system2
Consequences of a Second DUI While on Probation for DUI in Riverside
If you are charged with a second DUI while still on probation for your first DUI in Riverside, you will be dealing with what are essentially three different cases. Hiring a private DUI defense attorney is the best thing you can do if you wish to gain a positive outcome in these three cases.
First, you will have a probation violation hearing. Violating the probation from your first DUI allows the court to assign new penalties, often at the discretion of the judge. These penalties may include:
- Revoking probation and imposing the original jail sentence for the first DUI
- Extending the length of probation
- Adding additional probation terms, and/or
- Ordering substance abuse treatment
Second, you will face a charge for the new DUI. In Riverside, a second DUI conviction carries an additional 1 to 5 years of probation, a 19-month mandatory alcohol treatment program, up to 1 year in jail, and additional fines.3
Third, you will have a DMV hearing. A second DUI charge in Riverside comes with a potential 2-year suspension of your driver’s license.4 The DMV hearing provides the court with a chance to review the evidence of your arrest and determine whether your license should be suspended. Your DUI attorney may be able to convince a judge to let you keep your license or issue you a restricted license.
All of this means that defending against a second DUI charge and subsequent probation violation is much different than defending against a first time DUI. For this reason, it is imperative that you hire effective legal representation.
Call the Riverside DUI Attorneys at Wallin & Klarich
The penalties for getting a DUI while on probation for a first DUI are severe. If you are being charged with DUI in Riverside, you need to speak to an experienced DUI defense attorney immediately. At Wallin & Klarich, our Riverside DUI lawyers have been successfully defending our clients facing DUI and probation violation charges for over 40 years. Let us help you now.
Call our offices today at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (877) 466-5245 for a free telephone consultation. We will be there when you call.
1. [https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/ea06d0a4-a73f-4b2d-b6f1-257029275629/S5-246.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ea06d0a4-a73f-4b2d-b6f1-257029275629]↩
2. [http://www.riversideduiinformation.com/california_dui_laws/misdemeanor_dui.html]↩
3. [Id.]↩
4. [Id.]↩