An off duty New York police officer was charged with driving while intoxicated last week, when his car crashed on 65th Place between Woodside Ave. and Queens Blvd.
Although there were no injuries, Officer Matthew Woods is in hot water. Officer Woods had allegedly crashed into a parked car.
Woods, it would seem, is not the first police officer to face a DWI of his own. Since 1999, at least 55 active duty cops have been charged with drunk driving. Interestingly, most of them were not removed from their jobs, as they pleaded guilty to non-felony charges.
In New York, there are several levels of "drunk driving". While some are only considered traffic violations with a maximum penalty of $500, others are considered felonies; with fines rising as high as $10,000. The charges vary drastically and can depend on the type of substance in your system (a drug versus alcohol, for example) or can depend on the level of alcohol in your system (the higher the blood-alcohol content, the greater the infraction).
In addition to fines, the New York laws also provide for jail time for some DWI's as well as revocation and suspension of drivers' licenses.
The good news for drivers convicted of DWI's is this: There are many tiers of DWI and sometimes, it is possible for your New York criminal defense attorney to reduce your charge by pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Of course, this is not always the case and everything essentially depends on the facts and circumstances of a case, but regardless, a good New York criminal defense attorney should be very good at helping you figure out the remedies and strategies available to you.
Related Resources
- You and the Drinking Driving Laws: A Summary For Drivers (NYS DMV)
- Findlaw DUI/DWI Center (FindLaw)
- Find a New York Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
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