A drinking and driving charge is always what I call an accident of geography. No one gets in his or her car intending to be arrested for a DUI. DUI cases just “happen,” even if, looking back on the circumstances, it’s not that much of a surprise why. Since no one plans on getting pulled over for driving over the limit, no thought is given to the idea that if you get pulled over on the Oakland County side of Dequindre for a DUI, things will be a lot tougher than if you get pulled over on the Macomb County side. You drive to where you’re going with no intention to drive drunk in the first place, much less get pulled over for doing so. The gravity of the “where” aspect only sinks in after things go bad. In a 1st offense DUI case, for example, no matter how you slice it, facing the charge anywhere in Macomb County is almost always “better,” as in less horrible, than having to deal with it anywhere else.
That’s not to paint too rosy a picture, however. The court that will charge you the most for your DUI is in Macomb County, as are a couple of courts that DO NOT give time to pay those fines and costs. Even so, most Macomb County district courts do not require community service, while most in Oakland and many in Wayne counties do. In some situations, it is possible in 1st offense cases to wind up with non-reporting probation, or even no probation; this never happens in Oakland County and rarely happens in Wayne. This is not a matter of getting off easy, but rather the result of a Judge carefully considering things and realizing that the person before him or her is unlikely to ever do this again.
Sure, it would be better to not have to face a DUI at all, but if yours is anywhere in Macomb County, you at least have something to be grateful about right out of the gate. As a local, Macomb County based DUI attorney, I can certainly help make sure that you get every other advantage, as well.
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