In 2006, there were just over 41,000 people arrested for DWI in Minnesota. That comes down to approximately 115 arrests per day. Of those arrests it has been recorded that there have been around 4600 crashes that resulted because of drunk driving, and of those, about 166 involved fatalities. Can you imagine those numbers? And what's more, around 60% of those arrested are actually first time offenders. These numbers are not just to scare you, but to inform you of the fact that you are not alone.

What our dwi lawyers in Minnesota often find is that their clients can quickly become discouraged with what they have done, and have no idea of the magnitude of the problem. We feel that it is our job to keep your stress levels down as much as possible when it comes to the court aspect of the case, and to let you know all the facts so that you can fully understand the situation. So if this is your first or even second offense, let us take the burden off your shoulders and help you through this difficult time.

And depending on your blood alcohol levels, your minnesota dwi lawyer will work hard to bring your first offense charge down to a misdemeanor. Although there are still penalties, it can really mean the difference between being able to drive to work each day and having to find alternate transportation. However, while these are the types of conditions placed on your first offense, the second offense is different.

The law states clearly that if you are charged with a second count DWI within ten years of your first, your charge will become stiffer and bumped to a gross misdemeanor. It is very important that you have a good minnesota criminal defense that can explain to you that this type of offense comes with much harder penalties on your driver's license, as well as tougher fines and jail time.

For instance, besides the probability of being monitored for alcohol intake, you may be looking at fines in excess of $3,000, and/or one year in jail. And if you do not get the year in jail there are now mandatory minimum penalties that require you have at least 30 days incarceration or eight hours of community service per day under a sentence of thirty days, with a requirement of at least 48 hours of your ?jail time? being served in a local facility. And you may find it interesting to know that our dwi lawyers in minnesota often get calls from new clients just before their ten years is up with a request for help.

This is most often because they were not fully explained the way the system works. Most often people believe that it goes by the date you were arrested. However, the ten year mark does not start until the day you are convicted. Always remember that you are innocent until proven guilty! So give one of our dwi lawyers in Minnesota a call when you are in need of defending.