What will happen if my friend got 4 DUI's in 4 months?
Question Details: She didn't have money for a lawyer and missed court. In the state where this happened if you are convicted for 4 DUI's its a Class C felony. Also, some jail time would be given I think; I read about 120 days to 7 years. My friend will not turn herself in. She wants to move to another with me. I have heard that that state doesn't extradite to the stae where this all happened because it doesn't pick up the wanted person. I also heard that chances that you will get extradited for a misdemeanor is slim but not the same with a felony. Since she never went to court she doesn't have a felony yet right? Also, if she moves out here and lives with me, can I get in trouble for letting her stay with me if she has 4 warrants?
It will not benefit your friend to avoid the inevitable. By retaining the services of an experienced attorney, the attorney may be able to negotiate a reduction in one or more of the DUI charges. At a minimum, she should retain an attorney to at least investigate her cases and advise her on the strenghs and weaknesses of the State's case. Otherwise, she will be looking over her shoulder for the distant future when these issues could have been resolved.
Warrants don't expire and are valid in all states. Your friend is foolish to try and leave the jurisdiction and even more foolish for not taking care of this with the court. No matter what state that she lives in, this will eventually catch up with her. For example, if she is stopped for a minor traffic offense she will be taken in immediately and be extradited; a felony is nothing to fool with and there are multiple warrants out on her. And what kind of a job will she even be able to get; most employment run criminal background checks before hiring.
The fact is that it will be far better for her to appear in court voluntarily as oppossed to being brought there courtesy of the jail bus. At this point, your friend needs to speak with a criminal law attorney ASAP. They will be in the best position to advise her as to how to handle this situation (although it is fairly certain that jailtime will be involved).
