If this is your first visit be sure to check out the frequently asked questions by clicking here FAQ. You must be registered, logged in and approved before you can post. Posting approval may take a few business days. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. You may have to register.
For Habitual DWI offenders, drivers who have had three prior DWI convictions within the past seven years, DWI becomes a more severe felony. But more importantly, the Habitual DWI statute mandates a minimum active jail term of one year -- a sentence that CANNOT be suspended. Offenders must also go through a substance abuse program while in jail or as a condition of parole.
Seizure and Forfeiture of Vehicles
The Governor's DWI Initiative takes away from repeat DWI offenders the means to drive while impaired; namely, their cars.
Under the new provision, a law enforcement officer can seize a driver's car if the officer charges that person with DWI and that person was driving while his or her license was revoked due to a previous impaired driving offense. The seizure happens at the time of the arrest and NOT after the case has come to trial.
If a court convicts the driver of DWI and of committing the offense while driving with a revoked license due to a previous impaired driving offense, the judge will order the vehicle forfeited. The school board can then sell the vehicle and keep the proceeds, sharing the money with any other school systems in the county, or keep the car for its own use. The law does allow vehicle owners to get their cars back if they were not the driver convicted of DWI but only if they satisfy the court that they are an innocent party.
"there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter." Ernest Hemingway
Comment