Brevard County Man Arrested on 7th DUI Charge
Police have arrested a Brevard County man on his seventh DUI offense. Yes, seventh. He was arrested for DUI 6 times prior although not all of those offenses were in the 10-year lookback period. At the time of his arrest, he was driving on a suspended license and required to have an interlock ignition device installed on his vehicle. Instead, he swapped out the tags and placed them on a different vehicle to avoid the interlock ignition device. Police pulled him over when they recognized that the license plate of the vehicle did not match the vehicle he was driving. They asked him to perform a field sobriety test, which he refused. They also asked him to submit to a breathalyzer test and a chemical test, which he also refused. Deputies said they could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the driver.
Police released a press release saying: “THIS GUY COULDN’T CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR LIFE OR THE LIFE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND HE NEEDS TO STAY IN JAIL…ANYTHING ELSE IS SIMPLY A FAILURE TO PROTECT OUR CITIZENS!!” Harsh words for the defendant.
Multiple DUIs punished more severely
Your first DUI is punished the least severely. However, subsequent DUIs are punished more severely until you hit four. After a fourth DUI during a 10-year lookback period, your license is suspended permanently. The crime of committing a fourth DUI is considered a third-degree felony under Florida law. It is assigned a level 6 offense severity ranking under Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code. If you are convicted of committing a fourth DUI during a 10-year lookback period, a judge is required to impose the following penalties:
- A prison sentence of up to 5 years
- A probationary period of up to 5 years
- Permanent driver’s license revocation
- A fine of between $2,000 and $5,000
- Impoundment or immobilization of all vehicles owned by the driver
- Mandatory placement of an ignition interlock device on all vehicles owned by the driver
- Community service
- Completion of a 21-hour DUI substance abuse course
- Completion of a psychosocial evaluation and substance abuse treatment
This defendant is facing charges of committing a fourth or subsequent DUI, failure to submit to a chemical test, and driving an unregistered vehicle. In this case, the defendant also tried to fool law enforcement and do an end around the interlock ignition advice by affixing his license plate to an unregistered vehicle. In this manner, he was able to get behind the wheel while he was drunk even though he was required to blow into the interlock ignition device to start his vehicle. In this case, that was his undoing. Police recognized that the tags on the vehicle did not match the vehicle’s description and pulled him over.
Talk to an Orlando DUI Attorney Today
The Florida DUI defense attorneys at FL DUI Group represent the interests of those who have been charged with DUI. A DUI doesn’t have to ruin your life. Call an attorney for effective counsel and we may be able to get the charges reduced or dropped.
Source:
clickorlando.com/traffic/2023/12/30/florida-man-arrested-in-brevard-county-accused-of-7th-dui/
