One of the more serious offenses handled in municipal court is driving while intoxicated or dwi. This offense is contained at 39:4-50 of the New Jersey motor vehicle laws and is also referred to as drunk driving, driving under the influence (“DUI”), and drinking and driving. All of the terms essentially identify the same charge under NJ law, that is, the violation resulting from an individual operating a truck, car, or other motor vehicle, after ingesting too much alcohol or drugs. If you have been charged with DWI in Toms River, Bricktown, or elsewhere in Ocean County, you should know that you have a real chance of avoiding a driving while intoxicated conviction despite what you may have heard.
Exceptional Experience & Credentials to Win Your DWI Case
There honestly is no other firm in Ocean County with the training and certifications we possess in DWI. We also believe there is no other defense team with the cumulative experience in the trenches handling these cases as the attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. More specifically, when you hire our office, you gain the following resources:
- A team of 8 defense attorneys with over 100 years of experience defending dwi;
- Former dwi prosecutors in over 20 Ocean County municipalities;
- 5 lawyers and one paralegal certified on the Alcotest Breath Test (only approximately 50 certified statewide);
- 5 lawyers certified in standardized field sobriety testing (approximately 15 statewide) and 3 who are actual instructors in these tests (only 5 statewide).
Penalties If Convicted of DWI
First Offense: if your blood alcohol content was at least .08 but less than .10, there is a mandatory license suspension of 3 months. Your motor vehicle license will be revoked for 7 to 12 months, however, if your blood alcohol content was .10 or higher. Mandatory fines and assessments, and a $1,000 a year state surcharge (for 3 years) is also triggered upon conviction.
Second Offense: the suspension period is 2 years and jail of 2 to 90 days applies. A 30 day period of community service is mandatory, along with installation of an ignition interlock. Fines are significant, with the additional monetary assessment of a state surcharge of $1,500 per year for three years.
Third Offense: a license revocation of 10 years and 180 days of jail must be ordered if convicted. Substantial fines and other economic penalties are also triggered.
A DWI Defense Attorney Is Prepared to Help You. We are ready to put our superior credentials to work for you. We can be reached anytime 24/7 to provide you with the assistance you are seeking. Give us a call and one of our lawyers will be happy to address your questions and tell you exactly how we would go about defending you.
