Category: DWI

Motorists arrested for allegedly driving while impaired might wonder, “Can you refuse a breathalyzer?” In Minnesota, the implied consent law requires a person licensed to drive, control, or operate a vehicle to agree to a chemical test to check for alcohol or other intoxicants in that person’s body. Refusing to submit to a breathalyzer or another chemical test is a crime, often charged as a gross misdemeanor.
Expect the officer to ask whether you had anything to drink. The officer should only do so if he or she notices you have bloodshot eyes, detects slurred speech, or smells alcohol.  The responses you give to the officer may incriminate you. As the officer asks more detailed questions about your impairment, he or she will write down everything you say. After the officer confirms that you were drinking or impaired, he or she will ask you to step out of the vehicle.
The legal forfeiture of your vehicle or other property by the police can be a shocking experience. Property and vehicle forfeiture can also be an expensive experience. Property seizure of your car, boat, home, snowmobile or ATV can be costly both in terms of lost assets and in payments on property you no longer hold.
In Minnesota, teen drivers have restrictions placed on them that adult drivers do not. Teen drivers also receive harsher penalties for violating the law than do drivers over the age of 18. One such example is known as Vanessa’s Law
The Implied Consent Law, Minn. Stat. Sec. 169A.50-.53, states that an individual who drives, is in physical control of or operates a motor vehicle on the roads, land or waterways of Minnesota while impaired with alcohol must take a breath, blood or urine test to determine whether the driver is under the influence of alcohol or any other controlled substance.
If you have been charged with or arrested for DWI or DUI, there are several questions you probably have on your mind: “Am I going to lose my job? How long will my license be suspended? How long could I be in jail? What happens if I have a DWI on my employment record
The state of Minnesota impounds license plates if a driver is charged with certain crimes, including certain DWIs and driving after cancellation as inimical to public safety (DAC-IPS), when the driver has three or more DWIs (or DAC-IPS). If your license plates have been impounded, it means the plates were removed from your car and destroyed, making it illegal for you or anyone else to drive the vehicle used in the DWI or any other vehicle you own or co-own.
The Ignition Interlock device for people convicted of drunk driving was originally introduced to Minnesota as a pilot program that was limited to Hennepin County and Beltrami County (Bemidji) in 2009-2010. Now, this is a statewide program that became mandatory in July 2011 for all repeat DWI offenders and even first-time offenders who test at .
When someone is convicted of a DWI, whether through a guilty plea or after a trial, the individual is placed on probation. For misdemeanor DWIs, the probationary period is one to two years. For gross misdemeanor DWIs, the probationary period is generally two to six years.
Most drivers take the privilege to drive for granted. It is only after a driver’s license has been canceled that they realize how integral the ability to drive is to the day-to-day tasks of life. If your driver’s license has been canceled due to a DWI offense, talk to Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys. We can help you go onto ignition interlock and obtain a B-card license that allows you to drive with restrictions, as well as explore other options for maintaining your driving privileges.