On March 28th, 2018, Gov. Scott Walker signed SB 135 into law, which permanently revokes the driver's licenses of individuals convicted of 4 or more drunk driving-related offenses.

Under the new law, If a person is convicted of 4 or more drunk-driving related offenses OR after a second OWI in combination with two other serious OWI-related offenses such as injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle or second-degree reckless homicide involving a vehicle, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must permanently revoke that individual's driver's license.

The fourth offense must happen with 15 years of the previous conviction.

Those who lose their licenses and are caught driving will face a $2,500 fine, and up to a year in jail.

What is considered a "drunk-driving related offense?"

A drunk driving-related offense includes Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), homicide by OWI, homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle, and any felony crime under the motor vehicle code and others. The fourth offense must occur within 15 years of the previous conviction.

Does this affect previous convictions?

The bill is not retroactive. However, someone who has been previously convicted of 3 OWI-related offenses will have their license revoked after their next conviction.

Offenders who drive after revocation will face a $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail for the first offense. Second offenses could lead to a $10,000 fine and/or a year in jail.
 

FREE Wisconsin OWI Defense Consultation

Nationally-recognized OWI Defense Attorney Patrick J. Stangl has over 32 years of experience protecting the rights of clients accused of OWI across Wisconsin.

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Two OWI Defense Success Stories

OWI-PAC 7th Victory: Steve's Story

Steve hired Attorney Stangl to represent him on a 5th/6th OWI offense and unfortunately, while out on bond he was picked up for another OWI which was his 7th offense since 1989. Attorney Stangl was now defending against a 6th and 7th offense OWI plus related felony bail jumping and criminal operating after revocation charges. Needless to say, the client was in serious trouble and if convicted of the 7th offense would have done mandatory prison time.
 
A charging error was made, however, with respect to the 7th offense and it was charged out as a 5th and 6th offense, although it was correctly a 7th offense. Because of the mandatory minimum sentence structure on the 7th offense, Steve did not have proper notice of that charge and the State could have dismissed that charge and re-charged it properly as a 7th offense with the mandatory minimum prison sentence language. This would have provided Steve with due process notice of the mandatory minimum penalties. Fortunately for Steve, who was prepared to fight to the bitter end, Attorney Stangl was able to negotiate an amendment from the 7th offense down to a different felony, thus removing the mandatory minimum prison sentence for Steve.
 
Instead, Steve received treatment court options with county jail time which will likely include electronic monitoring and he was not sentenced to prison. If you are ever in a desperate situation like Steve where on the surface it looks like you are heading to prison, contact Stangl Law Offices, S.C. and Attorney Pat Stangl immediately as they have extensive experience in defending difficult cases.
 

Criminal Drunk Driving Victory in Wisconsin

State of Wisconsin v. R.B.

Attorney Stangl recently represented an off-duty law enforcement officer who was picked up for drunk driving. His chemical test result was significantly above the legal limit and he was charged with criminal drunk driving . Attorney Stangl quickly had the criminal charges dismissed by pointing out to the prosecutor that his client was improperly charged. After several pre-trial motion hearings, the case proceeded to a jury trial. Shortly after the State’s first witness began to testify, Attorney Stangl objected to the Trooper’s testimony and moved for a mistrial. The trial court ultimately declared a mistrial.

If you're facing OWI charges in Wisconsin, including drug charges or repeat OWI charges, click below to request a FREE 10-minute consultation to discuss your drunk driving or driving under the influence case and help explore options for your defense.

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