After you are arrested for a DWI, you are going to have to appear at your arraignment which will take place before a judge. The purpose of an arraignment is for you to be formally charged with the DWI. The judge is going to ask to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. It is a good idea to hire a DWI Lawyer Hagerstown MD before your arraignment so they can give you advice on what your plea should be.
What Happens At An Arraignment?
At the beginning of your arraignment you will either need to plead guilty or not guilty. You will be appointed a lawyer if you have not hired a DWI Lawyer Hagerstown MD at this time. You will also either be released from jail at this time or a bail will be set. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the DWI and whether or not this is your first charge, you may or may not just get released.
Your DWI Lawyer Hagerstown MD also has the option of requesting that you get a trial by a jury of your peers. If you have previous DWI’s on your record you want to make sure you make sure you deny them so your DWI Lawyer Hagerstown MD can challenge them later.
What Are Your Options?
Typically, you have four options when it comes to an arraignment. The easiest and quickest option is just to plead guilty. Your DWI Lawyer Hagerstown MD can try to get you a plea bargain in order to lessen your charges. You can request a trial before you see the judge. Your last option would be to demand a jury trial.
It is important to understand that the vast majority of the time, fighting a DWI charge is not a good idea. This is because it is pretty uncommon for a jury not to find you guilty. If you had a blood alcohol content level of less than .08 percent there is a chance you could win your case. However, if your blood alcohol content level was over 1 percent chances are pretty good you are going to be found guilty.
