Tag Archives: Stephen L. Jones

Do you hold a Massachusetts license? If so, know that you have already consented to taking a breath or a blood test if you are ever arrested for operating under the influence (OUI). Meaning, it is implied that if you have a MA driver’s license, you consent to a chemical test. Even if you do not hold a MA driver’s license, but are arrested for OUI in MA, you are also subject to MA’s implied consent law. You have every ... Read More »

IID stands for ignition interlock device and is defined as a handheld breath-alcohol monitoring device that is electronically connected to your vehicle’s ignition. Before starting your vehicle, the IID requires you to take and pass a breath test. If the device detects alcohol, the vehicle will not start. It also requires you to take re-tests while you are operating the vehicle. In Pennsylvania, IID’s are currently required for those who plead guilty or are convicted of a second or subsequent ... Read More »

You may be wondering if it is possible to have your OUI conviction expunged from your record.  The short answer is no.  An expungement order is a court order to remove and destroy records so that no trace of the information remains.  There are two instances, as it relates to DUI, where your record may be expunged.  First, a judge may have your name changed to “John or Jane Doe” on the criminal complaint and expunge your record if someone was charged ... Read More »

If you’ve been charged with driving under the influence, it is likely that you have also been charged with one or more summary offense.  A summary offense is a minor crime, for example careless driving or reckless driving, and often times, is the reason the officer pulled you over. In Pennsylvania, after being charged with a DUI, or any crime for that matter, the first court appearance is normally at the District Court closest to where the incident occurred. Every ... Read More »

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s ARIDE course is described as a bridge between the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) courses.  ARIDE, which stands for Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, is a 16-hour course that claims to teach officers how to look for signs of drug impairment during traffic stops.  On October 16-17, the Northeastern Pennsylvania DUI Task Force will provide local law enforcement with ARIDE training.  This is in response to what the Luzerne ... Read More »

Massachusetts has a lifetime look-back when it comes to operating under the influence (OUI) cases which means that any offense you commit can come back to haunt you.  The state even looks at out-of-state convictions and will count those as priors.  It doesn’t matter if the offense happened 30 years ago! On first offenses, many lawyers who don’t do a lot of OUI cases may try and sell a disposition called a “continued without a finding” or “CWOF” for short. ... Read More »

As a Pennsylvania licensee, you have already agreed to take a chemical test if ever arrested for driving under the influence.  Because you have already agreed to take a chemical test, whether it is blood, breath or urine, you are subject to enhanced penalties if you refuse.  In looking at it in its most basic terms, a refusal results in your case splitting into two parts: civil and criminal. On the civil side, PennDOT will suspend your license for 12 ... Read More »

Clients often call in panic mode after doing research online and reading the penalties they face for a first offense driving under the influence (DUI) conviction in Pennsylvania.  Those penalties vary depending on what your blood alcohol content (BAC) is and are as follows: Tier 1 (BAC 0.080 to 0.99) 6 months probation $300 fine Safe Driving Classes Court Reporting Network (CRN) Evaluation Drug and Alcohol Treatment Evaluation (if warranted) Tier 2 (BAC 0.100 to 0.159, Minors and Commercial & ... Read More »

Created by a student at MIT, glowing ice cubes are now able to calculate how much you are drinking and respond by changing color: green after sip one, yellow after sip two, eventually changing to red signaling you should slow your alcohol intake.  The circuit in the ice cube keeps track of time and the number of sips you take.  This allows the ice cube to, according to reports, reliably guess your level of intoxication.  Should you drink too much, ... Read More »

In a recent press conference, Massachusetts State Police stated their drunk driving arrests increased over 30% from 2011 to 2012 – 3,728 to 4,866 respectively.  Overall conviction rates, however, are 42% with jury trials and 14% with bench trials according to a recent 148-page report by Jack Cinquegrana, special counsel commissioned by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to investigate operating under the influence (OUI) acquittal rates. As opposed to assuming that those charged, but not convicted of OUI were in ... Read More »