There are very few people who would argue that DUI’s are anything but negative when children are involved. Charlie Naegle is an experienced Mesa DUI attorney dedicated to helping your family heal from the damage a DUI can do. Whether it involves a parent’s arrest while the kids are safe at home or when the kids are in the car at the time of the incident, DUI’s can have a major impact on children and cause them a great deal of fear and anxiety. Either way, a parent may end up in jail or delayed, which will, without a doubt, affect their kids.
Arrests and Jail Time
Arizona DUI laws are extremely strict and the punishment is harsh. Every step of a DUI takes time, including the arrest. Delays begin from the first moment a police officer pulls someone over for suspected DUI. Parents, who may be on their way home to their children for the night before being pulled over for DUI, will suddenly find themselves abiding a completely different timetable than their own.
There is nothing quick or fast about a DUI arrest. Tests are administered, rights and charges conveyed, and at some point, a person is either taken to a police station or DUI checkpoint for booking. You may as well tack on another several hours before you will get back to your kids.
All DUI convictions come with at least some jail time in Arizona. In some cases, the courts will make efforts to accommodate parents with children by allowing them to serve their sentences on weekends, but even then, there will undoubtedly be a disruption in schedules and routines for kids.
When Kids Are in the Car
If there is one message that should be crystal clear to any and all adults who may decide to get behind the wheel after drinking it is this: Do not jeopardize the safety of children by allowing them to ride with you. Unfortunately, not everyone has the best judgment after they have been drinking and there are incidents when DUI’s involve children in the car.
In Arizona, anytime children are found in the vehicle, the charges are automatically increased to Aggravated DUI, which comes with heavier penalties and punishments. There are some proven defenses that an experienced attorney can use to help you avoid these type of punishments, but it’s best to avoid these charges altogether by simply deciding that you will never drive after drinking with kids in the car.
Teen DUI
A third way that DUI often affects kids in Arizona involves teens that are arrested for DUI. Before they turn 18, teens are still considered minors or children. If a 16 year-old decides to drive home from a party where they had been drinking and is pulled over and arrested for DUI, it will have a major impact on that person for quite some time.
Just like an adult, jail time is still mandatory with a DUI conviction, even if you are just a teenager. There are also fines and license suspensions that can cause quite a bit of stress and awkwardness for both the teen and their family.
Call a DUI Attorney
Any time a child is involved in a DUI, the best thing to do is call a DUI Attorney as soon as possible. Some of the most effective defenses for these types of charges are time sensitive, meaning the sooner you have an attorney in place and working for you, the better chance they have of providing a strong defense. If you wait for a few weeks, you may lose any advantage you might have.
Mesa DUI attorney Charlie Naegle has successfully defended hundreds of people involved in a DUI. He has the knowledge of the system that can make a difference in having charges either lessened or dismissed altogether. If you or someone you know has been charged with DUI, do not hesitate – call Naegle & Crider Attorneys at Law today at 480-378-9000.