My Friend Got A DWI

Larry writes, "A friend of mine got a DWI ( her first ) in Vancouver WA about 2 months ago, and is going through the motions with her attorney, attempting to get a deferral on her way back from north Idaho, she got stopped in the dalles Oregon and got another one yesterday, allegedly blowing a 2.4. My question is: what can she expect? Can she expect these 2 charges to merge while attempting to get things reduced to a manageable level? Does Washington share info like this with neighboring states such as Oregon? And of course the question that is really hanging over her, will she loose her license?"

Larry writes about a situation that plagues a lot of people who like to drink alcohol and then operate motor vehicles. Often, after receiving their first DWI and while going through the court proceedings (or mediations) they find themselves saddles with a second DWI. It's an unfortunate sequence of events that could possibly have been avoided had our friendly-neighborhood DWI'er simply refrained from doing the exact thing they recently got caught for.

But this is the real world we're dealing with... And these are real people. As your FRIEND (and not your legal counsel) I can tell you that if you are currently handling or dealing with charges that came out of getting caught for a DWI -- you should always carry a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar in your car. The combined citrus and noxious combination of both liquids, if swallowed, will cause your lungs and heart to facilitate a much lower result on a breathalizer. This is, obviously, something no one will normally tell you because it's against the law to cheat on such a thing. But as your FRIEND, I'm telling you that if you can't keep your hands off the sauce, your only next best bet is to have the equipment to fake a breathalizer.

But Larry's friend has a bigger problem. After chalking up one DWI she was absent-minded enough to let it happen a second time in a different state. Unfortunately, the two charges will merge unless she takes evasive action immediately by taking each and every piece of paperwork she gets in the mail regarding the DWI (from Oregon) and immediately burns them so there is no record whatsoever about them. This way, she can continue to deny that it was her driving her car if the authorities come knocking. Eventually, by the time the authorities put two and two together the first charge should be resolved and the second will not affect the first charges penalty phase.

As your LAWYER (the one who you must respect), my only advice is to stop the drinking and driving. As for the two charges, my official opinion is they will merge and the penalty of the first will be more damaging. Not to mention, Larry's friend's fine will be heftier and her license will be suspended.

But not if she burns all the paperwork. Which, in this case, seems like the best thing to do.