Recently, a 61 year-old woman was arrested on Interstate 40 in Buncombe County and was charged with DWI. Curiously, she was not facing this single charge, but has five additional DWI charges pending, four in McDowell County and one in Burke County. The oldest one dates back to 2014. She was even charged with DWI on two consecutive days.
Pending Charges Carry Different Punishments
Multiple DWI convictions in North Carolina can result in a combination of jail time and other penalties. Such punishments are applicable to those who have already been convicted of DWI, people with children in the car while driving impaired, people who were revoked for impaired driving offenses when they were stopped and those who caused serious personal injury as a result of their impaired driving.
For those with multiple charges still pending, in addition to jail time resulting from driving while on a license that was revoked for DWI, perhaps the worst thing that can happen is to have their license revoked. North Carolina law states that drivers facing DWI charges automatically lose their license for a minimum of 30 days, yet they may still be eligible to obtain a provisional license which allows them to drive to and from work.
As a DWI lawyer, it is important to note that everyone who has been charged with a crime is still presumed to be completely innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is a hallmark of the American criminal justice system.
As incredible as this case may appear, it is possible for an individual to receive multiple DWI charges within a short span of time, especially if that person continues to drive while impaired. Of course, everyone asks, “how they could possibly be driving with multiple DWI charges?” The answer is usually quite simple. They continue to drive after their license is revoked.
For anyone facing multiple DWI charges, it’s best to seek assistance from the same Raleigh DWI lawyer for each pending charge. The attorneys at Kurtz & Blum, PLLC are always ready to help.
Sources:
- Boyle column: 6 DWIs in 16 months and still driving?, Citizen Times
- State DWI law allows driving on pending charges, WRAL.com
