College Student Is Spared From Underage DUI And Underage Drinking Charges | Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys, LLC

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College Student Is Spared From Underage DUI And Underage Drinking Charges

When a 19-year-old student at Slipper Rock University found himself with two separate underage drinking charges against him, he needed legal representation capable of handling these dual alcohol-related cases and obviously chose Pittsburgh’s Worgul, Sarna & Ness, Criminal Defense Attorneys. The young man was initially cited for underage drinking in Newcastle, PA and a short time later, was pulled over and charged with an underage DUI in Washington County when his BAC was recorded at .173. His original court date for the DUI offense was scheduled first; therefore, skilled DUI attorney Samir Sarna tactically had the proceeding postponed in order to handle the underage drinking charge first. Attorney Sarna negotiated with the assigned prosecutor to enroll his client into a diversion program for underage drinking, which upon completion would result in the charge being dismissed. After the underage drinking charge was no longer of concern, Washington County criminal defense attorney Samir Sarna began addressing the underage DUI.

The situation was complicated by the client’s high BAC and being under 21. Because of Pennsylvania’s three-tier system for punishing impaired drivers, his .173 BAC meant that he faced a 60-day license suspension, but since he was also underage, his suspension could be increased to 90-days. The young man was concerned about the limitations not having a license would have on him finding summer employment; therefore, Sarna began negotiating with the district attorney. These discussions resulted in a withdrawal of the underage aspect, which reduced the DUI to a lower tier allowing for a 30-day suspension. His client enrolled in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition(ARD) program, and due to Attorney Sarna’s assistance, the young man was pleased to learn that he will not be under suspension during the summer, when he’s looking for a job and despite multiple charges, after an expungement, his record would be cleared of these infractions.

The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.