North Carolina DUI and DWI Defense Lawyers Protect Your License

Accomplished and knowledgeable Salisbury attorneys fight for your rights

An arrest for driving while intoxicated, DWI, in North Carolina can have many serious consequences. If you are convicted, you face the loss of your license, fines and administrative fees, as well as possible jail time. You can also expect to pay higher insurance premiums, which can amount to tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime. Fortunately, the skilled DWI defense lawyers at Sherrill & Cameron, PLLC fight hard to save your inconvenience, grief, and expense. We challenge all aspects of the state’s case against you and force them to prove their case beyond a shadow of a doubt. We are local to Salisbury, so we can respond when you need us most, and we continue to work closely with you until your case is resolved. Although no attorney can ever promise a result, we have a long record of accomplishment, and we are determined to use our considerable skills to achieve the best possible outcome.

Aggressive defense to misdemeanor and felony charges

In recent years the North Carolina legislature has been very active in passing laws to punish DWI convictions with increasing severity. To protect your rights, the first thing we do is review the offense report and your driving record to see exactly what kind of trouble you’re in. North Carolina does not refer to “extreme” or “aggravated DUI/DWI” as other jurisdictions do. Rather, there are five separate levels of punishment for driving while impaired, with increasingly severe consequences based on several factors, such as:

• Prior DWI convictions
• Whether your blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeded 0.15 percent
• Whether a person under the age of 16 was in the car
• Whether you were driving on a suspended or revoked license
• Whether an accident resulted in serious injury

Depending on the facts of your case, you can be charged at any of these levels:

• Level V — Punishable by a fine up to $200 and a minimum jail sentence of 24 hours and a maximum of 60 days. A judge can suspend the sentence only after the driver spends 24 hours in jail, performs 24 hours of community service, or goes 30 days without operating a vehicle.
• Level IV — Punishable by a fine up to $500 and a jail sentence of 48 hours to a maximum of 120 days. A judge can suspend the sentence only after the driver spends 48 hours in jail, performs 48 hours of community service, or goes 60 days without operating a vehicle.
• Level III — Punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and a jail sentence ranging from 72 hours to six months. A judge can suspend the sentence only after the driver spends 72 hours in jail, performs 72 hours of community service, or goes 90 days without operating a vehicle.
• Level II — Punishable by a fine up to $2,000 and a jail sentence ranging from seven days to one year. A judge CANNOT suspend the minimum sentence.
• Level I — Punishable by a fine up to $4,000 and a jail sentence ranging from 30 days to two years. A judge CANNOT suspend the minimum sentence.
• Felony DWI — Persons facing the possibility of a fourth DWI or DUI conviction in a seven-year period can be punished as felons, with a minimum term of one year’s incarceration. Four-time offenders also get labeled as “habitual impaired offenders” and might not ever regain the right to drive in North Carolina. Authorities can also seize a car at the time of arrest.

At Sherrill & Cameron, PLLC, we take advantage of every opportunity your case presents to avoid the worst consequences of a DWI conviction. If there is reason to believe that a sobriety checkpoint was improperly conducted, or if there was no probable cause to stop your car in the first place, we will try to get the whole case thrown out on constitutional grounds. If the evidence instead suggests that there were problems with the administration, storage or analysis of a breath or blood test, we can present those problems before a jury to put the government’s case against you in doubt.

We also represent people charged with major crimes such as vehicular homicide or assault related to drunk driving. Our experience with the defense of violent felony offenses can make a significant difference in your favor if you were involved in an alcohol-related crash.

An experienced DWI attorney greatly improves your chances in court

Some drivers think if they go into court with a criminal defense attorney for a DWI or a driving infraction, they are somehow admitting guilt. They have the mistaken idea they’d be better off just talking it out with the judge. This couldn’t be more wrong. Coming to court with an attorney indicates you understand the gravity of the situation; choosing to represent yourself would seem to imply you haven’t given the matter much weight.

Depending on the facts of the case, we can often deliver a better-than-expected result. We start by addressing points you might not have considered:

• Did the police have probable cause to stop you?
• Were you advised of the consequences of refusing a breath or blood alcohol test?
• Were all field sobriety, blood and breath tests conducted according to state standards?
• Were you read your Miranda warning?
• Were you actually driving?

A negative answer to any of these questions could damage the prosecution’s case completely. This is where our experience in managing DUI/DWI cases gives us an advantage. But, even if critical facts go against you, we can still present you and your case in the most favorable light, which may spare you the most severe consequences.

Contact our accomplished DUI/DWI defense lawyers in Salisbury, NC

North Carolina’s drunk driving laws are more complicated than ever, but there are viable legal defenses. By retaining Sherrill & Cameron, PLLC, you can get every advantage you need. Call us today at 704-633-5723 or contact our Salisbury office online to schedule an appointment.