Driving While License Suspended (Martin County)

Facts: Our client was riding home from Miami-Dade to his home on the Treasure Coast. While on the road he began to realize that his boss was not doing well and appeared to be highly under the influence. In order to prevent a car accident our client pulled his boss from the driver’s seat to the passenger’s seat and took the wheel. Unfortunately, the reason our client was not driving originally because he did not have a driver’s license. It had been suspended for some time due to his criminal history and as he moved his boss to the passenger’s seat and took the wheel he began swerving and was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol and charged with Driving on a Suspended License.

Result: Originally, this case came in as a misdemeanor and the state was asking for 5 months county jail based on our client’s significant criminal history. Eventually, the case was sent to felony based on the number of prior convictions for Driving on a Suspended License in our client’s history and the state’s offer went from 5 months to 9 months. We worked with our client to weave a narrative that painted him in the best light as well as well and convince the judge that our client isn’t just his past, he is so much more. Based on our discussion we felt it best to leave his sentence up to the judge. We presented a clear and concise narrative which addressed our client’s criminal history, but highlighted heavily his progress and where he is now. The judge agreed with us and sentenced our client to 10 days in the county, which was a mandatory sentence, and a period of probation to follow. This allowed our client to continue to care for his young son and continue in his treatment.