U-M’s Minick Pleads Guilty to OWI Charge
Portage, MI- University of Michigan’s associate athletic director, Jim Minick was in court last week to plead to OWI and refusal charges following his may arrest.
MLive.com reports that Minick pleaded guilty to OWI and refusing to submit in court last week and was sentenced to eight months’ probation. He was also sentenced to 93 days in jail as prescribed by Michigan’s OWI statutes, but the judge counted the one day he spent in jail after his arrest and suspended the rest of his sentence.
Under the terms of his probation, Minick is not allowed to drink or use drugs and must submit to random drug testing.
Minick also pleaded guilty to one count of refusing a breathalyzer and was ordered to pay a fine, according to MLive.com.
His case can serve as an example of what happens when a person refuses to submit to field sobriety tests. In Minick’s case, he was charged with both OWI and refusal and was convicted of both. Many DUI offenders think that refusing to blow will keep them from being charged with an OWI, but that clearly isn’t true.
In court, it was revealed that Minick had a .185–more than twice Michigan’s legal limit of .08—when he crashed his car into a ditch on May 8th. When police arrived at the scene, Minick appeared to be intoxicated, but refused to submit to field sobriety tests.
Compared the possible penalties he was facing, Minick’s sentence was reasonable and the kind of leniency a person can expect when they have an talented OWI/DUI attorney in Michigan working on their defense.
Shortly after his arrest, Minick was suspended from U-M. It is unclear if he will be reinstated now that he has entered his guilty plea. Losing or being suspended from your job is just one of the many consequences associated with an OWI conviction. That is one of the many reasons to enlist the assistance of an OWI attorney in Michigan to build your defense; they can takes steps that may keep you from losing your license and your job.
The surest way of avoiding an OWI conviction in Michigan is to not drink and drive in the first place, but so many people ignore that advice and get busted. If you’ve been arrested for OWI, we at USAttorneys urge you to retain legal counsel immediately. An OWI conviction will affect you in more ways than you can imagine, so you need to take action immediately and get the legal help you need.
At USAttorneys we suggest you contact one of the lawyers at Hills at Law P.C. to assist you with your OWI charges in Portage. They have a team of committed and reliable attorney who will work hard to minimize the penalties you are facing will do their best to help you avoid conviction. The OWI attorneys at Hills at Law will evaluate the details of your arrest and determine what course of action you need to take. Call their office at 1-866-833-9373 and set up a consultation. It’s a decision you won’t regret.