Repeated DUI Offenses Bail Bonds in San Diego County
Driving under the influence is considered a priorable offense. This means that prior convictions will be used to augment the penalties of later DUIs. Offenses build up and after a fourth DUI is registered, the driver risks being sentenced to jail for felony DUI. The punishment depends on the facts of the case and the discretion of the judge at trial.
The positive thing is that this way of punishing repeated offenses is effective. The majority of drivers convicted of a 2nd offense do see it as a wake-up call and improve.
The DUI look back period is of ten years. Meaning that any DUI charge registered at the latest ten years after the first one will be considered a 2nd offense and will be punished accordingly.
Repeated DUI Offenses Bail Bonds Costs in San Diego County
The crimes that lead to augmented penalties when repeated are driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher, driving under the influence of drugs and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Subsequent offenses can go as far as:
- A 2nd offense
- A 3rd offense
- DUI with three priors
- DUI with prior felony DUI
The amount of bail for these crimes can range from $10,000 to $100,000.
How Much Time in Jail Can Someone Get for Repeated DUI Offenses in San Diego County?
A second or third DUI offender can be punished with:
- A mandatory 96/120 hours jail sentence and
- A lengthy jail sentence
- A heavy fine
- License suspension of at least one year
- Minimum eighteen/thirty months in an alcohol and drug education program
If the offender was still on probation for the first DUI, jail time for a probation violation will be added.
A felony DUI offense can lead to:
- From sixteen months to four years in a state prison
- Fines up to $1,000
- Restitution to injured parties
- Driving privileges revoked for at least four years
Repeated DUI Offenses in San Diego County: Case Examples
- Receiving a hit and run complaint, deputies dispatched to the accident scene. They observed that a vehicle had struck some large boulders and had also affected the property in the area. One deputy started a pursuit and caught up with the suspected vehicle. The driver admitted that he was the one involved in the crash and was arrested for his 8th DUI offense and for hit and run.
- A driver backed his car into another vehicle, causing minor damages, and fled the scene. Police identified and located him and he was arrested for DUI and hit and run. His license was already suspended and he had two prior convictions for felony drunk driving. These priors elevated the new charges to felony DUI. The driver was sentenced to five years in state prison.
- Deputies were called to a hotel for a domestic violence case. The woman involved in the fight threw a chair at her boyfriend and drove off past the officers. Later when deputies located her vehicle, they observed that she had been driving under the influence. She was taken into custody and dispatch located a prior DUI conviction and a suspended vehicle registration. She was arrested for a second DUI and suspicion of possession of a dangerous drug without a prescription. The bail was set to $5,329.
- A police officer observed the driver consecutively rear-ending the vehicle in front of him, then fleeing the accident scene speeding. The driver did not comply with a traffic stop and when his car became disabled, he was arrested. He was charged with hit and run, DUI, driving with a suspended license and reckless driving. The police reports showed that he had seven prior DUI convictions.
- The offender was first arrested and convicted for DUI in 1997, after that in 1998 and both times he served a few months in jail. In 2001, he committed his third offense and was convicted to one year in prison. In 2007, drunk and high on cocaine, he was involved in a crash that caused a person's death. The sentence he received was of eight years in prison. Also, his license was revoked for good. He was released in 2014 and in 2016 he was, again, arrested for DUI. His bail was set to $100,000.