Are you a fan of St. Patrick’s Day?
Legions of people are. That quasi-holiday easily qualifies as an annual chance-to-party gala in cities and states across the country. Parades and green beer tend to promote a festive spirit.
Not for all, though. A large number of Coloradans — 293 at least – are smarting in the wake of this year’s St. Pattie’s weekend. Their regular routines have been disrupted and cash reserves materially depleted by recent interaction with state troopers or police officers.
Let’s get back to that green beer for a moment. It’s easy to drink too much of it, and Colorado law enforcers are out in force on state roadways looking for evidence of that each year during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
The nearly 300 motorists who were arrested across the state on drunk driving charges over that period – more than 30 of them from Denver alone — will now have to pay the price for overconsumption, in a most dear and literal way.
Most Colorado motorists know either anecdotally or from hard personal experience that DUI outcomes in the state are often memorably unpleasant. One in-depth online overview on Colorado’s drunk driving laws and related penalties stresses that they “can be complicated, and include harsh penalties.”
For starters, they can empty a wallet or bank account in a hurry, with DUI-linked costs often requiring many thousands of dollars in outlays. A driver’s license can be suspended or revoked upon a conviction (as well as refusal to submit to a BAC test). Installation of an ignition interlock device might be mandated. So too can participation in an alcohol education and treatment program. Some defendants with prior DUI-linked histories suffer enhanced penalties that are exceptionally stringent, including significant terms of incarceration.
Spectacles like St. Patrick’s Day recurrently feature as reminders of the downsides that can unfold for motorists who have consumed alcohol and are pulled over by state law enforcers.
A Colorado motorist with questions regarding any aspect of a DUI arrest or criminal charge can contact a proven Denver criminal defense team for candid and aggressive legal counsel.