What Happens If I Plead guilty to DUI in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
If a person pleads guilty to their DUI charge laid against them by an officer, what happens next depends highly on how severe their charge was. If they had just committed a first time or second time DUI offense then it will be classified as a misdemeanor crime and the penalties they will have to face are less. However, if they were caught many times before and they managed to get into a serious accident while DUI their crime will be classified as a felony and their penalties will increase accordingly.
Getting into a serious accident while DUI highly increases the likelihood of severe penalization by the court because there are more injuries and damages which have to be compensated for.
Can I escape the penalties?
Since a person pleaded guilty, they will obviously have to face whatever consequences the court throws at them and they will not be trying to prove the officers’ allegations as false.
With a skilled DUI attorney by one’s side in Tulsa, OK, a person can enter a plea and request a probationary period which may or may not conclude with them having their more serious penalties erased from their criminal record. However, most of the basic penalties for DUI are statutory, which means that they will have to be fulfilled under every circumstance and there is generally no way out.
What are some of the basic penalties I will have to face for a misdemeanor DUI?
An individual who has pleaded guilty to DUI will generally have to face these basic consequences by the court:
- 1-year suspension
- 56 work hours
- DA supervision
- $375 court fine
- $75 Victim’s Compensation Fund
- Obtain a drug and alcohol assessment and classes if required
It is possible to have the 56 work hours reduced down to 20 work hours if a plea is requested at the right time. A lawyer can apply for a plea and educate a person on other methods they can pursue to have their penalties lowered.
DA supervision is also generally required in Tulsa, OK. Many people may worry that having DA supervision will be like having a probation officer monitoring them, but this is generally not the case. Probation officers monitor a person very closely and even come to their home to check on how they are faring whereas a DA would generally never do that. DA supervision basically means that a person will have to pay the additional fees of $75 every month.
Will my license be suspended right away?
When a person is arrested for DUI their license will generally be confiscated right away. However, the officer who is charging them will give them an Affidavit which they can use as a temporary license until their charges are cleared out with the court. Most individuals who are charged with DUI can request a modified license and a hearing as well.
If a person wants their request for a modified license or request for a hearing to go through, they must file the application within 15 days of the charge or they will not be taken into consideration by the court.
