DUI is one of the most common crimes committed in Las Vegas. As a point, the number of crashes, road fatalities, and DUI arrests increased significantly last year. That doesn’t include the number of citations for reckless driving or impaired driving-induced stoppages on the road.
With how often DUI incidents happen in the city, it is important to remember the instances where a simple drunk driving complaint can evolve into a more serious charge. Let’s review the four types of felony DUI charges that you can get in Nevada.
A Third DUI Conviction
Repeat DUI offenses escalate the penalties you can receive every time you get convicted. On the third iteration, you automatically face a felony whether or not any felony-worthy acts (like physical injury or death) were involved. A third DUI charge counts if you get arrested within seven years of the previous one. You must remember that the charge still counts as the third even if your previous convictions were in different states.
Prior Felony DUI Convictions
As mentioned, a third DUI complaint within seven years of the second one automatically escalates to a felony whether or not it involved any injuries or death. On a related note, once you get a felony conviction on your legal record, any successive DUI charge afterward will automatically escalate to a felony as well. Be warned; repeat DUI charges after a previous conviction count as a category B felony.
DUI With Injuries or Death
This is the one most commonly associated with felonies for DUI. Getting involved in a drunk driving accident where another passenger is wounded or killed is categorized as a felony even if it’s just the first time. If you have previous DUI convictions and the accident happened beyond the seven-year limit, it will still be counted as a felony. Like in the previous section, a DUI leading to bodily harm or death counts a category B felony with the appropriate penalties.
Vehicular Homicide
This category is the most severe type of felony DUI charge you can receive in Nevada. It comes into effect when a person with three or more prior drunk driving convictions get involved in an accident with fatalities. It automatically counts even if previous DUI charges were in different states or did not involve bodily harm. As the most serious conviction, a vehicular homicide escalates to a category A felony no matter what the circumstances.
It helps to remember what felony DUI charges are prosecuted in Nevada so you can minimize the chances that you can commit them in the state. If things come to blows, however, don’t forget that you can contact a veteran DUI lawyer in town to help you out.
