Wilmington Felony DUI Lawyer

Strong Defense For Felony DWI Charges

There really is no traditional “felony DWI” in North Carolina. Technically speaking, there are five levels of offenses, ranked in order of severity. These are Level One to Level Five. Level One and Level Two are the most serious offenses — what you might think of as felony DWI in other states, and generally do involve felony charges.

And in felony DWI cases, the question isn’t whether you’ll go to jail – it’s for how long. This is why you should contact a felony DWI defense attorney as soon as possible after you’ve been arrested.

Protect Yourself Against Serious DWI Charges

There are four aggravating factors that could result in a Level One or felony-type DWI offense. If any combination of these factors (two or more) is present in your case, you face Level One sentencing, which will include the indefinite loss of your driver’s license (for months, years, or life) and almost-certain jail time, among other consequences.

The four aggravating factors include:

• Prior history of DWI. If you’ve been convicted of a prior DWI offense in the past seven years, you could be charged with habitual or repeat DWI.
• Driving with a suspended license. An arrest for drunk driving will result in the suspension of your driver’s license for a certain period of time. Getting behind the wheel while your license is suspended or revoked because of DWI is an aggravating factor.
• Causing a car wreck. If you are arrested for drunk driving after having caused a traffic accident in which someone is seriously injured.
• Driving with a child in the car. Any person under the age of 16 is classified as a child under North Carolina DWI sentencing law. And having a child in your car when you are driving and arrested for DWI has been added in recent years as an aggravating factor by state legislatures across the country.

Effective Felony DWI Lawyers In Wilmington, North Carolina

Level One or Level Two in North Carolina is the equivalent of felony DWI in other states in terms of the consequences, from heavy fines and revocation of your driver’s license to forfeiture of your vehicle and serious jail time.

Call Christina Rivenbark & Associates at 910-251-8080 or contact us online to discuss your felony DWI case.