If a person is charged with a DUI in DeKalb County while not having a driver’s license, one of the first things that the judge will want to know is why they did not have a driver’s license, because that reasoning can significantly impact a case. If an individual does not have a driver’s license because they have just moved from another country and have not yet taken the time to go get a new license, their lack of license would be frowned upon in court. In contrast, an individual who does not have a driver’s license because they have already had so many prior DUIs will be treated much more harshly than the individual who just has not gotten around to getting a new driver’s license.
The reason behind why a person facing DUI charges does not have a driver’s license certainly becomes a relevant factor not only during a trial, but also during any possible sentencing. Driving without a license most certainly can be an aggravating factor if the person is found guilty of a DUI along with it especially if it is shown that the reason they did not have a license was due to drug or alcohol offenses.
If an individual’s license was suspended because of a prior DUI and they are arrested for a new DUI, then they are facing a very serious situation. Many times on the news, there are awful stories about drivers driving on the wrong side of the road, or travelling the wrong way on the highways and killing people. People’s opinion of DUI tends to be driven by the anecdote, meaning the horrible news stories that are heard as opposed to the statistics, which show that this just does not happen very often.
Nevertheless, the poster child for the dangerous drunk driver is a person who is driving drunk despite the fact that they have already been convicted and suspended for having DUIs. If a person is facing a situation where their license is suspended for a DUI and they are charged with a new DUI offense, it is urgent for them to call a DeKalb County DUI lawyer as soon as possible to start preparing their defense and see what can be done about the difficult situation the defense team is facing.
All charges that are incurred from one event will be heard at the same time, and driving without a license is a separate charge that must be proven distinctly from the DUI itself. Oddly enough, in some cases, a person can be found guilty of DUI but be found not guilty of driving without a license. One example that occurred in DeKalb County occurred when the jury decided to give the person a little bit of a break because they felt sorry for them, and only pursued the DUI guilty verdict. While this is not something that defendants should rely on, it is possible to be found guilty of one and not found guilty of the other.