Should my sister get an attorney for an underage drinking violation?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Should my sister get an attorney for an underage drinking violation?
My sister is 18. She has been on her own for about 3 weeks and got caught drinking. She is not getting charged for having alcohol in a vehicle, so her license will not be affected because of this. She has no prior criminal history. Having established this, what is the standard punishment for a first-time underage drinking violation in SD? Is an attorney necessary or should she go to court and accept a standard punishment? I mean, I’ve never heard of anyone getting jail time over this, so how much better of a deal could a DUI attorney get her? In Codington County, SD.
Asked on June 13, 2011 under Criminal Law, South Dakota
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
No, no,no. PLEASE do not just let her go and take her lumps. An MIP - Minor in Possession - charge is very serious because although she is a minor for purposes of drinking, she is of legal age for purposes of having a permanent record on her hands. And if convicted, she could face jail sentences, fines, diversion programs (supervised counseling, which often results in dropped charges if the minor participates successfully in the program), and sentences such as a number of hours of community service. So please, get her an attorney as soon as you possibly can. She has hopefully learned her lesson. Those first few weeks of being 18 can yield mixed reactions but that false sense of adulthood has now, I am sure, been put in its place. Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.