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Skowhegan Maine OUI / DUI Attorneys

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OUI / DUI Defense Lawyers in Skowhegan, ME

Skowhegan Maine Operating Under the Influence (OUI) Lawyers

Skowhegan is one of Maine’s larger inland communities, with a population of 8,589 during the 2010 census. The county seat of Somerset County, Skowhegan is located west of Bangor, and north of Augusta, just off of I95. The town is host to the oldest continuously running state fair in the country.

Figures show that Skowhegan is one of Maine’s less affluent communities, and also indicate that it is in decline. While the average median household income for the state of Maine was $46,974 in 2013, in Skowhegan it was $29,024. This number was only a marginal improvement over its 2000 median household income in Skowhegan, showing that the town was losing ground.

Crime stats show that Skowhegan is one of the least safe communities in the state of Maine, with a crime rate not only well above state average, but also above the national average. With 498 property crimes committed in 2013, nearly twice the national average, on a per person basis, Skowhegan was even ranked in the top 10 most dangerous places in Maine.

However, violent crimes remains relatively low. Skowhegan’s police force is comprised of 14 full-time officers, making it average sized for the state of Maine.

Skowhegan Court Location

If you get arrested and charged for OUI (operating under the influence) in Skowhegan, then your case will go before the court at the Skowhegan District Court, in Skowhegan, Maine. This courthouse is located at 47 Court Street, near downtown Skowhegan, Maine, in a low brick building at the corner of Court and High Streets.

If you need directions to the courthouse, you can find them on either Google Maps, or the court’s website.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Skowhegan District Court in the court’s parking lot. This lot is located behind the courthouse, on Court Street. You shouldn’t have much of a problem finding a spot there.

Prosecutors

The Somerset District Court is located in Somerset County. The District Attorney for Somerset County, and also for Kennebec County, as well, is Maeghan Maloney.

When it comes to OUI charges, Ms. Maloney’s office policy is more liberal and openminded than most of the other district attorney offices in the state of Maine. That said, Ms. Maloney and her assistant district attorneys are not just looking to get things settled out of court, so they can move on to more important matters. They are more than willing to take any criminal case to trial.

OUI / DUI Penalties in Skowhegan

If the OUI investigation gathers strong evidence of an OUI crime, you could end up getting convicted on drunk driving or drugged driving charges.

The penalties of an OUI conviction have been increasing over time as politicians try outdoing each other to cater to special interest groups that want to punish drunk drivers.

As a result, the sanctions for an OUI conviction, even one that does not involve a crash or injury, are shockingly high for the severity of the crime:

No. of Offense (Last 10 Years) License Suspension Jail Time Minimum Fine
1st Offense 150 Days No Minimum $500
2nd Offense 3 Years 7 Days $700
3rd Offense 6 Years 30 Days $1,100
4th Offense 8 Years 6 Months $2,100

These penalties increase if there are aggravating factors. For example:

  • If you refuse to take a chemical BAC test like a blood test or a breathalyzer, you will spend at least 96 hours in jail and 275 days will get added to the license suspension.
  • If you had a passenger under 21 years old in the car, there will be a minimum jail sentence of 48 hours and the license suspension will be 275 days longer.
  • If you try fleeing police, had a BAC of 0.15% or higher, or were driving more than 30 miles per hour over the speed limit, there is a minimum 48-hour jail sentence.

There can also be severe collateral consequences of an OUI conviction. Finding a job can get more difficult with the blemish on your criminal history, and keeping your current one while dealing with the license suspension can be tough.

Defending Against an OUI / DUI in Skowhegan

There are several ways you can defend against an OUI charge in Maine. Raising whatever defense is available to you is essential if you want to avoid these serious penalties of a conviction:

  • There was no probable cause for the traffic stop. Police need to have probable cause to search for evidence or make an arrest. Because a traffic stop is a type of arrest, police need to have probable cause to believe that a crime is being committed. While they do not necessarily have to think that the crime is OUI, police have to suspect something. They cannot just pull people over for no reason. If they do, the evidence they find can be excluded from court.
  • BAC or field sobriety tests were improperly given. BAC tests are not foolproof. They have to be calibrated and administered properly. If they aren’t, the readings they provide can be inaccurate and innocent people can get into legal trouble. Field sobriety tests are even less reliable. Police can even manipulate them so drivers are more likely to fail.

Contact an OUI / DUI defense lawyer in Skowhegan today

An accusation that you were driving your car while under the influence is no small matter. The penalties for an OUI conviction are serious, and include not only a sizeable fine and months without your license, but potentially even time in jail.

Hiring the best OUI defense attorney available is the best way to prevent an OUI charge from turning into an OUI conviction.

Through hard work and vigorously defending his clients in court, attorney William T. Bly has made a name for himself as the premier OUI defense counsel in the state of Maine.

His ability to challenge faulty evidence, or exclude evidence that was illegally obtained by law enforcement makes him the best asset to have, if you’ve been charged for OUI in Skowhegan, or elsewhere in the state of Maine.

Call The Maine Criminal Defense Group at (207) 5718146 or contact our law firm directly today to start planning your defense.

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