If your license is revoked and you are caught driving, you will likely be charged with DUR (driving under restraint). However, if your license has been revoked due to a DUI or DWAI, you can be charged with a more severe form of DUR known as a DUR-Alc – driving while under an alcohol-related restraint. The penalties for this crime can be devastating.
In Colorado a first-time DUR-Alc carries with it a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days in jail, but if you are found guilty you can spend up to one year in jail and be fined anywhere from $500 to $1,000. In terms of your driver’s license, a conviction for DUR-Alc will also lead to another year of driver’s license revocation, at a minimum.
If you are found guilty of a second DUR-Alc, you can spend anywhere from 90 days to two years in county jail. Fines jump to the $500-$3,000 range with additional DMV consequences. If your second DUR-Alc occurred less than five years of your first conviction, you can lose your driver’s license for an additional four years – making it difficult to get to work, buy groceries or take the kids to school.
If you commit a DUR-Alc due to an emergency, the mandatory minimum jail sentence no longer applies but the Court can still decide to sentence you to jail time.
The penalties for DUR-Alc are serious and rapidly escalate. Because of this, you need a strong defender to keep yourself out of jail. Contact a Denver drunk driving attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case.
DUI Matters – Denver Drunk Driving Lawyers