Criminal Defense of OWI through Dismissal or Plea Bargain Agreement
Introduction:
It is to everyone's benefit to work out your drunk driving case without a trial. The question of course is whether or not this can be done in a way that is satisfactory to you. This will depend on many factors such as how important it may be for you to simply win your case, and also, how "defendable" your case really is when looked at objectively.
Information Used by Your DUI Attorney to Evaluate Your Case:
As has or will be explained in the initial interview with your attorney, there are three major parts of your OWI / DUI / DWI "puzzle": 1) your side, 2) the police version, and 3) videotapes. If you took a breath or blood test, there is a fourth piece: the chemical test results and the maintenance history of the machine used in your case. Once information about each of these "pieces" is gathered, your attorney should put them together to see what type of a "picture" your drunk driving case presents.
In this portion of the representation your attorney should carefully review the official charging documents of your case. Sometimes mistakes are made that may result in the complete dismissal of your case.
Your attorney should also meet with the prosecuting attorney assigned to your case to learn what the officer's version of your case may be. Your attorney should gather all facts supporting your initial traffic stop, field sobriety testing, testing conditions, interrogation, chemical testing and videotaping. A really good DUI attorney will supply you with a written account of his her findings. This account should point out the positive and negative aspects of the prosecutor's case.
Plea Bargaining:
Plea bargaining is what happens when a prosecutor offers to reduce a charge in exchange for a plea of guilty. Statistically speaking, most drunk driving cases throughout the state of Michigan are resolved in this way.
Your attorney has an ethical obligation to discuss all possible plea bargain offers in your case. At the Barone Defense Firm this is done as an "insurance policy" on your case. Whatever we negotiate will only one possible outcome of your case and change as your case proceeds through the system. We retrieve all videos of your arrest. In some cases there are videos at the scene of your stop and videos at the jail where the breath test was administered. We will get copies of any and all videos taken of you during your arrest.
How the Barone Defense Firm Will Help You Reach the Best Final Resolution of your Drunk Driving Case:
After all of your information has been gathered, we will discuss our findings with you to review the evidence and discuss the options available for disposition of your case. We will review all reports, videotapes and negotiations with you. We can tell you what to expect if you enter a plea bargain agreement and to some extend, we can identify your approximate chances of winning if you select a trial.
If you elect to "plead" your case, we will appear with you in Court before the judge. At that hearing, we will continue to negotiate your punishment in anyway we can. We will appear before the judge sentencing and wherever possible, again try to obtain any further concessions to minimize your penalties. Our office will remain available throughout your probation to assist you in successfully completing all conditions ordered.
Next -> Field Sobriety Tests Explained
Get a FREE confidential CASE EVALUATION on your Michigan OWI/OWVI/DUI by calling (248) 306-9161 , or filling out this consultation request form. Call now, there's no obligation!
