Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) February 2, 2010
The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia implemented dramatic changes to its alternative disposition policy for all Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenses occurring after January 1, 2010. Under the new policy, those charged with DUI/DWI offenses are no longer eligible for a pre-trial diversion program. Furthermore, a Deferred Sentencing Agreement, where the defendant pleads guilty but can earn dismissal of the case through successful completion of a program before sentencing, now will be available only for cases where the defendant’s blood alcohol content level is 0.10 or below.
David Benowitz, a leading criminal defense and DUI defense attorney based in Washington, DC said, “This change marks a serious and unfortunate shift in how first time DUIs/DWIs are treated in the District. Before the the Office of the Attorney General changed its policy, many first-time DWI/DUI offenders were eligible for a diversion program. Now there are fewer options on the table. Prior to this shift, low level first-time offenders could have their charges dropped without pleading guilty if they successfully completed a combination of classes, fines and community service. Many of these first time offenders will now be treated in a similar fashion to people with higher purported blood-alcohol levels.â€
Mr. Benowitz is the name partner at The Law Offices of David Benowitz, a DC DUI defense law firm based in Washington, DC, with offices in Montgomery County, Maryland: Prince George’s County, Maryland: and Baltimore, Maryland. Benowitz is a seasoned DC DUI lawyer and is a member of the National College for DUI Defense. Mr. Benowitz holds an AV Preeminent attorney rating from Martindale-Hubell and has attained a perfect 10/10 rating from AVVO.com. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, with a Bachelor of Arts in Honors American History. In 1995, Mr. Benowitz graduated from The George Washington University Law School with honors, where he was a member of the Law Review, the Moot Court Board, and a student attorney in the D.C .Law Students in Court Program. Mr. Benowitz received an advanced law degree in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Law School in 2006.
For further information on this topic or other criminal defense and DUI defense related matters, please contact The Law Offices of David Benowitz at (202) 529-9374. Offices are located at 406 5th Street, NW Washington DC 20001,10411 Motor City Drive, Bethesda. MD 20817, and 1015 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 20001.
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