It’s as predictable as snow in winter, sun in summer and noise after a Denver Broncos touchdown: proposals from politicians to make new laws. It’s what politicians do.
Representative Lori Saine of Weld County recently promised that she will push a felony DUI bill in the Colorado legislature next month. Rep. Mark Waller of Colorado Springs proposed felony DUI laws earlier this year, as well as in 2013, but both bills failed.
Proponents of the bill note that Colorado is one of only four states in the nation without a felony DUI statute. In general, that means that those convicted of more than one drunk driving charge here face up to a year in jail.
Of course, Colorado prosecutors can and do go after defendants on felony charges after multiple DUI arrests and convictions. An Arapahoe County grand jury recently indicted a 57-year-old man on serious charges after he was allegedly pulled over while driving drunk. He now faces first-degree assault and attempted manslaughter charges, though the news article about his predicament described no assault, no traffic accident and no violence of any sort.
The man reportedly has “16 alcohol-related driving convictions, most of which were in Colorado,” however.
Senator Jessie Ulibarri of Adams County opposed the felony DUI bill last year, saying that he prefers our state’s current approach, which is to focus on establishing sobriety checkpoints, especially during times when drinking can be more widespread. The recent Thanksgiving holiday is one example of a weekend in which there is higher-than-normal alcohol consumption.
If you face a DUI or related felony charges, an experienced Denver defense attorney can help protect your rights and interests in negotiations and at trial.
Source: 9news.com, “Man with 16 DUIs calls Colorado law into question,” Anastasiya Bolton, Dec. 2, 2014