Effective October 2024, a law change requires anyone convicted or who receives Probation Before Judgment ("PBJ") for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol ("DUI") or Driving While Impaired by Alcohol ("DWI") to participate in the ignition interlock program. Before this law change, judges had the discretion to order the ignition interlock for individuals who received a PBJ for DUI.
Subject to certain restrictions, PBJ is a sentencing option for many when a judge strikes an initial guilty finding after a trial or plea and places the person on probation without a finding of guilt. In driving cases, one of the significant benefits is that Maryland MVA accesses no points for a conviction. The expanded mandatory law now mandates the installation of the ignition interlock for everyone convicted or who receives a PBJ for an alcohol-related driving offense.
Please get in touch with C. Thomas Brown, an experienced DUI defense lawyer in Elkton, Cecil County, MD, to discuss your DUI/DWI charges. Alcohol-related driving offenses are serious matters with many issues and consequences. They begin with the initial arrest and administrative suspensions for test refusals and breath test results. The court proceedings involve potential incarceration and substantial fines, affecting employment and family matters.
Being charged with DUI/DWI is stressful. We are here to help you through the process.