860 236-9350 / Text 860 977-0660
690 Flatbush Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110-1308
Text 860 977-0660
860 236-9350 / Text 860 977-0660
690 Flatbush Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110-1308
Text 860 977-0660
I am Attorney John Serrano and I have been defending people charged with drunk driving for 30 years. I have helped people keep their driver’s license and avoid jail sentences. I can help you. If you have been arrested for drunk driving in Connecticut, you need an experienced and knowledgeable lawyer on your side to help you avoid being convicted or to minimize the penalties imposed by the court and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
A charge of drunk driving, also known as driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), and operating under the influence (OUI), can severely affect your life, with consequences including:
In Connecticut and throughout the United States, the legal limit for alcohol is 0.08% blood alcohol content. (The limit for commercial drivers is 0.04% and for persons under 21 is 0.02%) This means that two or three drinks in an hour, depending on your weight and the strength of the drinks, may put you over the legal limit.
Every day people from all backgrounds — college graduates, high school drop-outs, rich, poor, professionals, teachers, factory workers, housewives — are charged with DWI / DUI. While some people unfortunately have an alcohol problem, many people wind up in criminal court facing DUI / DWI charges after getting pulled over when they thought they were able to drive home safely from a party or social event.
You have the right to a hearing before the DMV suspends your license. The issues at the hearing are limited to whether (1) the police officer had probable cause to arrest you for DUI, (2) you were arrested, (3) testing showed you were over the limit or you refused testing, and (4) you were operating a vehicle.
Criminal penalties will usually include fines, jail time, obligatory community service, and reporting of convictions to the DMV, which will result in additional license suspension and use of an ignition interlock device.
| Arrest | Suspension | Ignition Interlock Device |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 45 Days | 1 Year |
| 2nd | 45 Days | 2 Years |
| 3rd | 45 Days | 3 Years |
| Arrest | Suspension | Ignition Interlock Device |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 45 Days | 6 months |
| 2nd | 45 Days | 1 Year |
| 3rd | 45 Days | 3 Years |
| Arrest | Suspension | Ignition Interlock Device |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 45 Days | 1 Year |
| 2st | 45 Days | 2 Years |
| 3st | 45 Days | 3 Years |
| Arrest | Conviction | Mandatory Sentence | Maximum Sentence | Fines | License Suspension | Ignition Interlock Device |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | N/A | ( Eligible for Alcohol Education Program ) | ||||
| 2nd | 1st | 48 Hours or 100 Hours Community Service | 6 Months | $500 to $1000 | 45 days | 1 year |
| 3rd | 2nd | 120 days plus 100 Hours Community Service | 2 years | $1000 to $4000 | 45 Days | 3 years Driving limited to work, school, treatment, probation or IID service center. |
| 4th | 3rd (within 10 years) | 1 year plus 100 Hours Community Service | 3 years | $2000 to $8000 | Lifetime. After 2 years may apply to end suspension. |
Lifetime. If suspension ended may apply after 15 years to remove device. |
Connecticut DUI law provides an Alcohol Education Program (AEP) which involves classes or treatment instead of criminal prosecution. The program is not automatic. A judge has to be satisfied that you are likely to benefit from the classes or treatment before granting you the program. Anyone who was seriously injured in an accident caused by your drunk driving has to be notified that you are applying for the program and has the right to give the court his or her opinion about whether you should be granted the program.
You can apply for the program if the following are true:
The application process involves these 3 steps:
If you are admitted into the AEP, your case will be continued for 1 year during which you must complete the program by attending the classes or undergoing the counseling. Classes are usually once a week and are available during the day as well as evenings.
If you live out of state, you will be allowed to complete a similar program or counseling in your state.
The judge most likely will also require that you attend a victim impact panel, which is a presentation by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) about the catastrophic results that can happen to persons that are the victims of drunk driving.
If you successfully complete the AEP, the criminal charges against you will be dismissed, keeping your record clean of DUI charges. If you do not successfully complete the program, you will have to return to court to face the DUI criminal charges.
The program will be terminated and you will have to face the criminal DUI charges if:
In Connecticut, a person who operates a motor vehicle while his or her license is suspended for DUI / DWI faces a mandatory 30-day jail sentence. Under the law, "operating" means not just driving a vehicle on a road, but also includes simply being in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle with the engine running if the vehicle is on a road or a parking lot having more than 10 spaces. Even starting a car's engine with a remote engine starter while standing outside the car has been held by the Connecticut criminal courts to be "operating" a motor vehicle.
A driver whose license suspension for drunk driving is over must have an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) installed in every car which they drive. The driver must breathe into the device before the car will start. If the IID detects alcohol, the car will not start. The IID must be used for the time periods shown in the charts on this page. The car horn blows and the lights flash if someone tries to start the car without breathing into the IID. The driver must pay to have the IID installed and each month to have it calibrated (checked that it is working correctly). The DMV gets a monthly report that shows every time the car has been driven and whether someone has tried to tamper with the IID, including attempts to bypass the device by hot wiring the car. The IID also requires random breath samples when the car is running to check if the driver has been drinking after starting the car. The DMV website has further information about the IID program and a FAQ page.
Llámenos si está enfrentando cargos criminales por conducir en estado de ebriedad (DUI). Hemos ayudado a muchos clientes a que se cancelen los cargos en la corte y eviten un registro criminal. También podemos representarlo en el departamento de vehículos motorizados (DMV) y luchar para evitar que su licencia sea suspendida. Llámenos para una consulta inicial gratuita.
Ligue-nos se você está enfrentando acusações criminais por dirigir embriagado (DUI). Ajudamos muitos clientes a cancelar as acusações em tribunal e evitar um registro criminal. Também podemos representá-lo no departamento de veículos motorizados (DMV) e lutar para impedir que sua licença seja suspensa. Ligue-nos para uma consulta inicial gratuita.
| Court | Towns Covered | Courthouse |
|---|---|---|
| Enfield | East Granby, East Windsor, Enfield, Granby, Simsbury, Suffield, Windsor, Windsor Locks |  |
| Hartford | Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, Farmington, Hartford, West Hartford |  |
| Manchester | East Hartford, Glastonbury, Manchester, Marlborough, South Windsor |  |
| Meriden | Cheshire, Hamden, Meriden, North Haven, Wallingford |  |
| Middletown | Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Saybrook, Portland, Westbrook |  |
| New Britain | Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Newington, Plainville, Plymouth, Rocky Hill, Southington, Wethersfield |  |
| Rockville | Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Ellington, Hebron, Mansfield, Somers, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington |  |
| Waterbury | Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury |  |