Henrico County First Offense DUI Treatment

First time DUI charges in Henrico County are heard in Henrico County General District Court. There are four courtrooms that could possibly hear these cases and four different judges. To learn more about first time DUI offenses read below, or consult with a Henrico County DUI lawyer to look over your case and help you build a strong defense.

What Are The Penalties For a First Time DUI?

A DUI first offense in Henrico County is a class 1 misdemeanor with a sentence of up to 12 months in jail, up to a $2,500 fine, and up to a 12-month loss of license. In addition to that, whatever DUI offense from your first to your third, you’re required to complete what’s called the VASAP course, which is the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program. This is a course that runs anywhere from 14 weeks up to 30 depending on the needs of an individual, it can involve both an alcohol and substance abuse counselling.

In addition to these penalties would be loss of license on a first offense. You can attempt to request a restricted operator’s license for to and from work, to and from school, or to and from child care, among other needs.  A new provision of Virginia law requires that an ignition interlock device if you wish to have a restricted license.  This device must remain on your vehicle for a minimum of six months after which you can petition for its removal.

Henrico County is a zero tolerance jurisdiction. In other words, the prosecutors are very vigorous in the prosecution of these cases. They will not reduce them or amend them unless there are significant legal issues on these cases. So even with a first time DUI, prosecutors will seek the maximum penalty and are not likely to reduce these cases no matter what mitigating factors exist.

Henrico County is a zero tolerance jurisdiction; they do not offer diversionary programs or any sort of probationary terms.

Henrico County is a very tough jurisdiction on DUIs. The policy from the judges prosecutors, and judges officers is zero tolerance. They will pursue these cases vigorously and enforce all the penalties available under the law.

Despite it being a first offense judges and juries will still impose harsh penalties. If there are aggravating factors, an accident, injuries or an elevated blood alcohol level, prosecutors and judges will seek to impose active jail sentences for anywhere from five days up to several months if necessary.

Unfortunately no there is not more leniency from a Judge or Jury.  The judges in Henrico County are very strict in enforcing the DUI laws and the juries in Henrico County are knows to be extremely harsh when it comes DUI offenses.