Drunk Driving Charges in Redford Michigan
Quick Facts about the 17th District Court in Redford, Michigan, Wayne County District Court
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If you are charged with operating while intoxicated in the 17th District Court . . .
If you are charged with a DUI offense in Redford, Michigan, then your case will be heard in the 17th District Court in the City of Redford. The two current judges of the 17th District Court are the Honorable Karen Khalil, and the Honorable Charlotte L. Wirth.
Although Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the various assistant prosecuting attorneys working under the elected prosecutor have the ability to prosecute drunk driving cases in the Redford district court, most of the drunk driving cases are handled locally by Redford, Michigan through municipal contracts with private attorneys for legal services. This means that local charges are handled by private practicing attorneys. In addition to the local Redford Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriff and the Michigan State Police will file charges on drunk driving cases arising within the jurisdictional boundaries of the 17th District Court. Sheriff cases and MSP drunk driving charges are usually prosecuted by the Wayne county prosecutor's office, but these are not as common as local, municipal charges.
Michigan DUI Penalties
-TAB SELECT-First Time Offender: Super Drunk Over .17 BAC in the 17th District Court
- Recorded as "misdemeanor" conviction as opposed to felony conviction on criminal record
- Jail up to 180 days
- Probation for up to 2 years with alcohol and drug monitoring
- Fines of $200 to $700, "plus court costs" which totals well over $1,000.00
- One year of alcohol rehabilitation
- 45 days hard suspension, eligible to drive for the balance of the year (320 days) if the offender pays to have a breath alcohol ignition interlock device installed in the vehicle
- Up to 360 hours community service
- Six points on your Michigan driver's license
- $1,000.00 per year for two years "Driver Responsibility Fee" charged by the Secretary of State through the Michigan Department of Treasury
A second offense for either super drunk, OWI, or OWVI within seven years of a prior OWI or OWVI results in tougher penalties, greater likelihood of jail, and a lifetime revocation of a person's driver's license. A third offense for any combination of OWI and OWVI charges in a lifetime is a felony OWI 3rd offense, which carries mandatory jail and a possible prison term of up to 5 years. A felony drunk driving charge arising in Redford will likely be prosecuted in the Wayne County Circuit Court by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
First Time Offender: OWI - Operating While Intoxicated (Same as DUI or DWI) in the 17th District Court
- Recorded as "misdemeanor" conviction as opposed to felony conviction on criminal record
- Jail up to 93 days
- Probation for up to 2 years with alcohol and drug monitoring
- Fines up to $500, "plus court costs" which totals over $1,000.00
- 30 days hard suspension on Michigan driver's license, eligible to drive for the balance of the six months (150 days) on a restricted basis, i.e. to / from / and in connection with work, court ordered programs, and emergency medical treatment
- Up to 360 hours community service
- Six points on your Michigan driver's license
- $1,000.00 per year for two years "Driver Responsibility Fee" charged by the Secretary of State through the Michigan Department of Treasury
A second offense for either OWI or OWVI within seven years of a prior OWI or OWVI results in tougher penalties, greater likelihood of jail, and a lifetime revocation of a person's driver's license. A third offense for any combination of OWI and OWVI charges in a lifetime is a felony OWI 3rd offense, which carries mandatory jail and a possible prison term of up to 5 years. A felony drunk driving charge arising in Redford will likely be prosecuted in the Wayne County Circuit Court by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
First Time Offender: OWVI - Operating While Impaired in the 17th District Court
- Recorded as "misdemeanor" conviction as opposed to felony conviction on criminal record
- Jail up to 93 days
- Probation for up to 2 years with alcohol and drug monitoring
- Fines up to $300, "plus court costs" which totals over $1,000.00
- 90 days restricted driving on Michigan driver's license, i.e. to / from / and in connection with work, court ordered programs, and emergency medical treatment
- Up to 360 hours community service
- Four points on your Michigan driver's license
- $500.00 per year for two years "Driver Responsibility Fee" charged by the Secretary of State through the Michigan Department of Treasury
A second offense for either OWI or OWVI within seven years of a prior OWI or OWVI results in tougher penalties, greater likelihood of jail, and a lifetime revocation of a person's driver's license. A third offense for any combination of OWI and OWVI charges in a lifetime is a felony OWI 3rd offense, which carries mandatory jail and a possible prison term of up to 5 years. A felony drunk driving charge arising in Redford will likely be prosecuted in the Wayne County Circuit Court by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Redford District Court
If you are convicted of a DUI in the Redford district court, you may be subject to random chemical testing, including breath tests, transdermal monitoring (SCRAM tether), and urine tests. Increasingly, probation departments across Michigan are employing urine tests for alcohol known as EtG testing. The EtG test is a urine test that claims to detect biomarkers that result from the consumption of alcohol. Supposedly, these tests detect alcohol consumption for upwards of several weeks. If you have a positive EtG test but have not consumed alcohol, do not offer suggestions or defenses. Whenever you are going to court, whether it is in Redford or elsewhere, assume that you might be subjected to drug or alcohol testing, and do not attempt to purchase gimmicks claiming to help pass a drug test.
Important: When reporting for probation, you will likely be given a breath test on a PBT. Do not arrive to court for a probation appointment after consuming alcohol!
17th District Court Sobriety Court Program
The Redford District Court does not have a Sobriety Court program at this time. Since the 17th District Court does not have a sobriety court program, motorists facing a second offense for OWI 2nd will NOT be eligible for a restricted license and face life-time revocation. If you are facing a second alcohol-related offense within seven years of a prior conviction, it is critical that you hire a lawyer to review and possibly challenge your case. Two alcohol-related convictions within seven years results in a lifetime driver's license revocation with no restrictions and no ability to get a license in another state for work or any other reason. You may be able to transfer to a local approved sobriety court (see, http://courts.mi.gov/Administration/admin/op/problem-solving-courts/Documents/DrugSobrietyCourts.pdf, but this can be very difficult.
Important:
A Michigan driver who is convicted of two alcohol-related offenses within 7
years faces mandatory lifetime revocation with no driving privileges, i.e. no
restrictions, no breath interlock device, and no ability to get to and from
work. Michigan's Secretary of State places a nationwide hold on revoked
motorists, so moving to another state does not help. Under the Sobriety Court project
approved by lawmakers, certain Sobriety Court judges are permitted to overrule
the Secretary of State's revocation procedures after a minimum 45 day suspension, granting a restricted driver's
license to the Sobriety Court candidate.
Prosecuting Attorneys in the 17th District Court
Please note: Do not contact the prosecutor directly. It is always a better idea to have your lawyer engage in all communications with the prosecutor.
State Prosecutor for Wayne County
Kym L. Worthy (P38875)
Douglas P. Dwyer (P39211)
Wayne County Prosecutor
1441 Saint Antoine St
Frank Murphy Hall of Justice
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313) 224-5777
Fax: (313) 224-8180
e-Mail: kworthy@co.Wayne.mi.us
Redford Township Prosecutor
Michael L. Bosnic (P52659)
Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC
101 W Big Beaver Rd Fl 10
Troy, MI
48084-5253
Phone: (248) 457-7026
Fax: (248) 404-6350
E-Mail: mbosnic@gmhlaw.com
17th District Court Judges
The following opinions are drawn from my experiences and dealings with the Redford judges in the 17th District Court. It's important to understand that these are just my opinions, and other lawyers might disagree. Because I routinely challenge drunk driving cases, however, my experience with a particular judge might be different from another lawyer, especially when that attorney does not take cases to trial. None of the comments here should be viewed as an attempt to discredit a particular judge or reflect poorly upon the judiciary. The Redford judges generally do not order jail time in DUI cases, and I generally enjoy cases in this jurisdiction. With that in mind, however, there are serious ramifications to a DUI conviction, so you should treat this case very seriously.
Hon. Charlotte L. Wirth
Judge Charlotte L. Wirth of the 17th District Court is an excellent judge, but it seems like we constantly fight on cases. Nearly every interesting case that I pick up in Redford gets assigned to Judge Wirth. I have had numerous motions before Judge Wirth as well as a few hotly contested cases. I have also had remarkable success before Judge Wirth, including a few outright dismissals, including a high BAC with accident case that was dismissed because police destroyed exculpatory evidence and failed to properly administer the breath test. I give her a lot of credit because she has made several tough calls in favor of my clients when those decisions were unpopular but legally required.
Hon. Karen Khalil
Judge Karen Khalil of the 17th District Court is a decent judge, but she is on balance pro-prosecution and has been known to issue outrageous bonds. I have not had nearly as many interesting cases with Judge Khalil as I have had with Judge Wirth, but I have appeared before Judge Khalil many times. On misdemeanor sentencing issues, she is not terrible at all. As a matter of fact, in November of 2011, Judge Khalil started the Veterans Court in Redford. This is only the fourth veteran's court in the State of Michigan and the first in Wayne County. This is an excellent program, and I have used it to help qualifying veterans in tough cases. The judge and her staff have even allowed me to transfer cases from other jurisdictions, which is very difficult to accomplish in the similar (but different) sobriety court programs cropping up in other courts. The Veterans Court program in Redford works closely with the VA and local veterans groups, prosecutors, defense counsel and the probation staff to mentor, monitor, and provide veterans with the tools they need to lead productive and law abiding lives.
Directions to the 17th District Court
The court is located at 15111 Beech Daly Rd., Redford, Michigan 48239-3201. The court is located on the west side of Beech Daly Road, one block south of 5 Mile Road. It is immediately next door to the Redford Township Police Department. (313) 387-2790
If You Are Searching for Qualified Redford DUI Lawyers . . .
If you are currently charged with drunk driving in Redford, Michigan, and seeking the most experienced Redford DUI lawyer to represent you in the 17th District Court, please send us a message or call our office at (888) 941-1122 or locally at (734) 591-0100.
William Maze can provide you with the highest quality representation in your Redford drunk driving case. Mr. Maze is an award-winning attorney and one of Michigan's leading drunk driving defense lawyers. He is certified in standardized field sobriety tests and teaches other lawyers how to defend DUI cases. He has been trained on the BAC Datamaster breath testing device at National Patent Analytical Systems and owns two Datamaster devices as well as PBTs. He has received toxicology training in blood and urine testing, and he has attended hundreds of hours of specialized training in DUI defense across the county.
William has handled many Redford DUI cases and routinely appears before the judges of the 17th District Court, successfully representing clients through motions and jury trials that have resulted in favorable rulings. If you want to know more about William's nearly 20 years of experience fighting drunk driving cases or what you might expect as a result in your case, call our office and schedule an appointment with Mr. Maze.
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