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Man with 8th DUI arrest appears in court as Washington weighs how to protect the public from extreme offenders

Posted by John Tymczyszyn | Apr 24, 2019 | 0 Comments

DUI repeat offenders and "extreme offenders" are under scrutiny in Washington State.

Currently a person can be charged with felony DUI if they have been convicted of DUI three times in the last 10 years. However, the Washington state legislature is currently looking at changing this policy and modifying the DUI "look back window" from 10 years to fifteen years. This means that on average 129 more people in Washington state will be charged with "Felony DUI" under the laws for repeat DUI offenders.

There are currently 147,122 drivers in Washington State who have DUI convictions. This number does not include the large number of drivers that were charged with DUI and never convicted. There are also 40,730 drivers in Washington State who have been convicted of two DUI's.  If you have been accused of your second or multiple DUI's it is important to understand the pressure that judges and prosecutors are under to punish repeat offenders. There are 12,354 drivers in Washington who have had a 3rd offense DUI and 3,630 who have had a 4th DUI conviction in their lifetime.  After that the numbers drop significantly, with 1,139 drivers with five DUI convictions, 393 with 6 DUI convictions, 141 with 7 DUI convictions, 43 with 89 DUI convictions, 13 with 9 DUI conviction, and just 7 drivers in Washington State with 10 or more DUI convictions.

Two-thirds of drivers that receive a DUI never receive a second DUI. 

One possible way to avoid a long jail term for a second DUI conviction is a deferred prosecution. You can learn more about this on our DUI - DEFERRED PROSECUTION & 2nd OFFENSE DUI webpage. If you have been accused of multiple DUI's within 7 years you need to acknowledge that you probably need alcohol treatment. I have worked with many clients that have been repeat DUI offenders and those that are successful are generally willing to admit they have a problem with drugs or alcohol.

If you are ready to enroll in alcohol treatment I am here to help. Enrolling early in a case like this can show the prosecutor and judge that you are likely to succeed in treatment and jail time may not be needed. Treatment is the most common tactic I use to keep my repeat DUI clients out of jail, employed and free.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS RECENT SEATTLE TIMES ARTICLE:

Man with 8th DUI arrest appears in court as Washington weighs how to protect the public from extreme offenders

About the Author

John Tymczyszyn

Attorney John T. is a third generation Washingtonian, Navy Veteran and criminal defense attorney.

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