Anyone stopped by police while drunk driving in Minnesota with a BAC at 0.08 or higher can be charged with a DUI. In fact, even if your BAC is under .08, a person can be arrested if they are too impaired to safely drive a vehicle. Even more serious is what can happen to a driver who refuses to take a test to measure their blood alcohol concentration.
A charge of DWI (Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired) or Test Refusal is devastating, and a DWI arrest and conviction can damage your professional life, home life, and personal life. Don’t struggle through this situation on your own, reach out to an experienced DWI attorney in Eagan, MN.
Consult the Schafer Law Firm, P.A, the premier drunk driving attorneys in Eagan, MN. Knowledgeable and attentive to every detail, attorney Brent S. Schafer reviews the facts of your case and provides you with sound advice. A DWI defense lawyer with decades of experience, Brent S. Schafer has represented individuals charged with DUI and DWI throughout Minnesota. His clients can attest to the success stories from his representation in their case.
Brent S. Schafer knows how to challenge the charges against you. He mounts a defense for the Department of Public Safety’s driver's license revocation hearing and the criminal trial that follows.
After collecting evidence from a number of different sources, Attorney Brent Schafer helps you construct a well-reasoned and solid defense for your drunk driving case.
Sources may include dash-cam videos, cellphone video, police reports, citations, statements from witnesses (including any passengers in your vehicle), and chemical test results. This assembled evidence creates an accurate picture of what really took place in order to build a solid defense for your case.
As experienced criminal defense and drunk driving attorneys Eagan, MN residents can count on, Brent Schafer analyzes these data and puts them to work in your case.
During the criminal trial that follows DUI or Test Refusal charges, your guilt or innocence is determined based upon the evidence presented by the prosecuting attorney at law and the challenges to that evidence presented by your defense lawyer. That’s why a highly experienced DWI attorney in Dakota County, MN gives you the best chance to prevail in court, potentially resulting in dropped or reduced charges. If convicted in Minneapolis or the surrounding county area in Minnesota, you face serious penalties:
For your first offense, punishment can include 90 days in jail, $1,000 in fines, and up to a 90-day driver’s license revocation.
A second charge in Minnesota is punishable by up to one year in jail, $3,000 in fines and minimum one-year driver’s license revocation. DWI Statute law requires second-time offenders to serve a mandatory minimum of 30 days in jail.
Third-time drunk driving offenders receive all the penalties associated with a second DWI, plus a minimum one-year driver’s license revocation. MN DWI Statute requires third-time offenders to serve a mandatory minimum of 90 days in jail. In addition to incarceration and license revocation, third-time offenders will face vehicle forfeiture and license plate impoundment.
Your fourth offense within 10 years is a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. Felony offenders who are not sent to prison must serve 180 days in jail.
If faced with any of these charges, consulting with a Minnesota DUI lawyer is your best option for your defense case.
Test Refusal Crimes—Refusal to take a test in Minnesota is currently a criminal offense. In other words, even if a person was under the legal limit or perhaps had no alcohol or illegal drugs in their system, they could still be charged with a serious criminal offense for simply not taking a blood, breath, or urine test. A person who refuses to submit to testing will be charged with a gross misdemeanor, even if it is a first offense.
Many aggravating factors can enhance a charge substantially, including your blood alcohol level, whether you refused testing, whether you had a child in the car, and whether your actions injured another person.
When the cards are stacked against you, put an aggressive Dakota and Scott County DWI and Minnesota DUI lawyer to work for you in defense of your case. Minnesota DUI attorney Brent S. Schafer has tried more than 30 jury trials to verdict throughout the State of MN and appeared at several hundred court trials and contest motion hearings for clients. He has spent his legal career inside the courtroom and is a proven litigator on cases ranging from drunk driving and traffic violations to homicide. His success, experience, and fearless attitude prove invaluable when challenging the prosecution’s charges or presenting your defense to a jury.
Most people believe that if they are stopped for a DWI, they have no chance of beating the charge and should simply plead guilty. But, this belief is untrue. DUI attorney Brent Schafer has had numerous DWI/DUI and test-refusal cases dismissed or charges reduced after an aggressive challenge to the original procedures used by the police prior to, during, and after the arrest. The answers to several important questions will help determine the outcome of your case:
A successful challenge to one of these issues can result in the dismissal of the charges or a significant reduction in the charges and penalties of your criminal defense case.
When facing a DWI or test refusal charge, the experience of seasoned drunk driving attorneys in Eagan, MN can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. From protecting your driver’s license to challenging unlawful stops, they understand how to identify weak points in the prosecution’s arguments. These attorneys can examine every stage of the arrest process—from the initial traffic stop to chemical testing procedures—to ensure your rights were never violated.
The drunk driving attorneys in Eagan, MN at Schafer Law Firm, P.A. are well-versed in the complex and often confusing Minnesota DWI laws. Their hands-on approach ensures that no detail is overlooked, whether it involves reviewing dashcam footage, analyzing arrest records, or interviewing witnesses.
What are Minnesota DUI Laws? For quick answers to your questions, the Schafer Law Firm, P.A. provides the following frequently asked questions and answers when seeking a MN DUI attorney:
For more information, contact Schafer Law Firm for a free consultation and read success stories from clients regarding their DWI defense case.
