College is a time for many young adults to spread their wings, expand their education, and enjoy their first tastes of independence. Many enjoy this newfound freedom responsibly, but there are some that overindulge in the wrong areas. Excessive partying, drug use, and other illicit activities can lead to run-ins with the police. One of the more common charges college-age adults face is a DUI. If your college-age son or daughter has been charged with a DUI then they could be facing severe consequences from the law and from their school, including expulsion. There are several steps as a parent that you can take to help your college-age child who’s been charged with a DUI.

If convicted of a first offense DUI, your child can serve from 2 days up to six months in jail and pay up to $1,000 in fines. Their license will be revoked for 90 days and they will be required to attend an alcohol awareness program. With a second DUI, the penalties are much more severe. They include ten days to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. Their license will be suspended for a year. A mandatory alcohol dependency evaluation is conducted as well, which they will be ordered to comply with on a second DUI.

The negative impacts of a DUI can last for decades after someone has completed their sentence. Admission or readmission into college is one of them. Many colleges now investigate an applicant’s criminal background. A survey cited in the 2019 AACRAO report found that 70% of four-year colleges require applicants to report criminal history and 81% of private colleges ask about criminal history. This doesn’t mean your child won’t get into college with a DUI conviction. It is just going to be more difficult. Another difficulty that comes from a DUI conviction is attaining employment. Many people with a DUI conviction find it more difficult to obtain jobs. Employers view these DUI convictions as a red flag for immaturity and reliability concerns.

The following are just a few possible DUI defenses.

No Probable Cause – The prosecution must prove there was probable cause to pull over your college-age child unless the stop is part of a DUI checkpoint. If there was not probably cause to stop your child for some traffic offense, this may lead to a solid defense.

Faulty Testing Equipment – If it can be proven that test equipment was faulty or not timely calibrated then reasonable doubt can be cast on the case.

Margin of Error of the Test Results – There is a certain margin of error associated with each DUI evidentiary test and what is acceptable by the standard of the law. This applies to both evidentiary breath and blood tests.

Delay in the Evidentiary Test – If law enforcement fails to obtain an evidentiary breath or blood test within 2 hours of your child being in control of the vehicle, this can also lend to a solid defense.

If you want to receive the best possible outcome for your college-age child, it is highly recommended to hire an experienced DUI lawyer. Building a solid DUI defense is a detailed and extensive process. There are multiple avenues that need to be pursued and some can only be accessed by a lawyer.

Getting to the root cause of the DUI can help prevent it from happening again. But just because your college-age child has been charged with a DUI, doesn’t mean they should be rushed off to Alcoholic Anonymous (AA). There are varying degrees of alcohol use , and not all of them require the strict evasive measures associated with AA. There are other options and programs for people with alcohol use problems, such as professional recovery coaches who use evidence-based tests and measures to diagnose, assess, and reduce relapses.

Facing a DUI is a very stressful time in any person’s life. People in these situations want to feel supported by their friends and family. As a parent of a college-age child facing a DUI charge, the best way you can help them is by providing the most experienced and professional legal assistance available. Jesse Kalter has earned countless not-guilty verdicts in the defense of DUI cases and has had hundreds of cases reduced or completely dismissed. He is available to serve Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon, Fernley, Dayton, Yerington, Douglas County, and all other Northern NV rural counties.

Build the Best DUI Defense Possible For Your College-Age Child’s Future
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