Maine Attorney specializing in OUI, DUI and Criminal Defense

It is the law in Maine. Every Maine resident has to get a Maine driver’s license in order to drive legally.   The State has an interest in registering vehicles and drivers, and Maine is serious about this law.  Operating without a License in Maine is a  criminal charge for not maintaining an active Maine driver’s license, or abiding by the terms of your license.

This article is not about your typical Maine resident whose existing license expired and simply is late in renewing their license.  Instead, this article is about when the person’s behavior is through intentional neglect to get a driver’s license or failure to follow the limitations on the scope of their license.  Often, people I encounter who are charged with Operating Without a License do not feel like “criminals.”  Everyone drives, and so they feel that all Operating Without a License charges should be traffic violations.  In some cases, Operating Without a License is in fact a traffic violation, but there are more serious situations in which Operating Without a License is in fact a criminal charge.

Also significant is the fact that a criminal charge for Operating Without a License is one of the convictions that counts towards a potential Habitual Offender status.  Just like a criminal charge for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) or Operating After Suspension (OAS), Operating Without a License can cause serious collateral consequences if left unaddressed, and needs the expertise and representation of a criminal defense lawyer.

If you or someone you know is facing a driving related criminal charge like Operating Without a License, I encourage you to contact my office to schedule a free legal consultation.  I am happy to meet with you to answer your questions and put your mind at ease.

Arrest for Operating Without a License

There are a few major ways in which a person can end up facing a criminal charge of Operating Without a License:

• Driving a Car with less than 0.08 BAC while under 21 – When you are under 21, your driver’s license does not permit you to drive with any alcohol in your system, period.  This is called the “zero tolerance” law.  If you are caught driving while “buzzed,” with a blood alcohol content of under 0.08 but still a positive alcohol measurement, then you can be charged with Operating Without a License, as well as the accompanying issue of Operating Beyond License Restriction.
• Violating a “Condition Q” License – After an OUI-related driver’s license suspension, your license is not restored to the same level right away. For a period of time after an OUI-related suspension, your license is reinstated with certain restrictions, similar to the “zero tolerance” restrictions on an under-21 license.  This post OUI-suspension license restriction is called a “Condition Q.”  If you violate this restriction by having any amount of alcohol in your system while behind the wheel, you can be charged with Operating Without a License.
• Failing to get a Maine License on time after becoming a Maine Resident – When you move to Maine as a new Maine resident, the State allows a certain grace period in order to allow you to get your administrative affairs in order, including getting a Maine driver’s license. If you fail to do this within 90 days, you can be charged with Operating Without a License.
• Failing to get a license in the first place – if you drive a car and have never obtained a Maine driver’s license, you can be charged with Operating Without a License.

In order to determine whether you are a licensed driver, law enforcement is permitted to run your license plate number to see who the car is registered to.  Law enforcement often runs license plates in order to determine if there are any potential issues in connection with the car.  Law enforcement does not need any special reason or “probable cause” to run your plates.  Often, it is these seemingly innocent “registration checks” that often identify individuals who end up getting charged with Operating Without a License.

Maine Law: Operating without a License

Under Maine Statute 29-A M.R.S.A. Section 1251, subsection 1. License Required, “…a person commits an offense of operating a motor vehicle without a license if that person operates a motor vehicle on a public way or parking area:

1. Without being licensed. Or,
2. In violation of a condition or restriction on the license.
3. Operating without a Maine driver’s license when a new Maine resident has been living in Maine for 90 days or more.”

A criminal charge for Operating Without a License is considered a “strict liability” crime.   Strict Liability means that it does not matter whether or not you knew that you were breaking the law by driving your car without being properly licensed.  Strict liability crimes do not take into account your state of mind.  For this reason, any argument of “I didn’t know” or “I was never notified” would be ineffective.

Operating Without a License in Maine is a Class E misdemeanor crime.  The maximum penalties for a Class E misdemeanor conviction include up to $1,000.00 in fines and up to six (6) months jail time.   And, that Operating Without a License conviction counts as a strike towards a potential Habitual Offender HO status.  Habitual Offender status occurs with three (3) driving related criminal convictions within five (5) years, ten (10) or more traffic violations involving demerit points within 5 years, or a combination.  The driver’s license of a Habitual Offender is revoked (suspended indefinitely).

Can Operating Without a License be a Traffic Violation?

In some narrow circumstances, Operating Without a License is considered a civil traffic violation.  These situations include:

• Operating without a license issued by the State of Maine if the person is a new Maine resident who has been living in Maine for more than 30 days but less than 90 days.
• Operating on an expired learner’s permit that has expired within the past 90 days.
  • If the driver is stopped with an expired learner’s permit, the law enforcement officer may issue a limited permit to the driver for the sole purpose of driving home or to the BMV to renew their license.

How a Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

While a charge for Operating Without a License might feel not as serious as a charge for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) or for Operating After Suspension (OAS), it can nevertheless cause problems in the long run if it is not addressed properly at court.  Your case for Operating Without a License would benefit from the knowledgeable attention of a criminal defense lawyer.

• Your Criminal Defense Lawyer can Negotiate a Favorable Resolution with the District Attorney: If you have a clean record aside from the single charge for Operating Without a License, your lawyer can argue that it is not worth the District Attorney’s time to prosecute otherwise innocent citizens.  Knowing the way the Court system works, your lawyer can make this argument in the most effective way possible so that it can be the most persuasive.
• Your Criminal Defense Lawyer can Challenge the State’s Evidence: Regardless of whether the charge is for a Class E crime or a Class A felony, the State’s evidence needs to meet the elements of the crime by a standard of evidence known as beyond a reasonable doubt.  This is the highest standard of proof in the legal system.  This means that no matter how minor the charge might be, the State is still obligated to put on its best possible case.  Your criminal defense lawyer’s job to poke holes in the State’s evidence.
• Your Criminal Defense Lawyer can Save you from a License Revocation: As mentioned above, a conviction for Operating Without a License can be counted towards a potential Habitual Offender (HO) status.  If you fight the charge and win, then you would not be convicted of the charge, and your driver’s license would remain in the clear.  It is when you fail to address any driving-related issues that the convictions can pile up, and before you know it you are staring down a revocation of your driver’s license.  Better to fight it now and be safe rather than to not fight it and be sorry later.

Possible Outcomes for Operating Without a License

With the assistance of a criminal defense lawyer, here are some possible outcomes to a charge of Operating Without a License:

• Dismissal– A dismissal is when the charge is dropped completely.  A dismissal on your record appears as “Dismissed.”
• Filing Agreement– A Filing Agreement is when the State sets aside the case for a period of time pending the defendant’s good behavior, and possibly meeting some basic conditions or requirements, such as a Filing Fee.
• Plea Deal for lesser charge– Your criminal defense lawyer can negotiate with the District Attorney to potentially obtain a better outcome to your case. One example of a better outcome is a plea deal in which you get to plead to a lesser charge.  In the case of Operating Without a License, perhaps the District Attorney would agree to downgrade the charge to the civil traffic violation.

Court Process for Operating Without a License

Here is the court procedure for Operating Without a License.  Across the State of Maine, the Courts have implemented a procedure called the Unified Criminal Docket, which is described below:

Arraignment

Arraignment is your first appearance at court where the charge of Operating without a license is read to you. You will need toprovide an answer to the charge.  At Arraignment, your criminal defense lawyer can enter a plea of Not Guilty on your behalf to this charge.

Dispositional Conference

After the Arraignment, the next court date is the Dispositional Conference.  The Dispositional Conference is where the lawyers for the defense and the State negotiate a possible resolution to the case.  In my practice, many Class E criminal cases like Operating without a License are resolved at the Dispositional Conference.  If no resolution is reached at the Dispositional Conference, then the case moves on to further court dates.

Motion Hearing and Possible Docket Call

In the event that there are any possible issues in the police investigation whether the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated, a Motion Hearing can be held on the defense’s Motion to Suppress.  Or, the case might require a Docket Call, which is the final opportunity for the parties to resolve the case outside of trial.

Trial

If no resolution is reached, even through Docket Call, then the case progresses to Jury Selection and Jury Trial.  In this type of charge, it is rare to face a potential trial.  The trial is a person’s “day at court” complete with arguments to the jury, testimony from the stand, and cross-examination of witnesses.  The verdict is the outcome of a trial, and is considered the final outcome of the case.

For More Information

If you found this article helpful on Operating without a License in Maine, you might also find these helpful too.

• I didn’t know my license was suspended. Can I be charged with OAS?
• Is OAS a traffic violation?
• How do Individuals become designated Habitual Offender?

For students taking driver’s education, the teacher usually makes the point that “going Habitual Offender” is a bad thing. Habitual Offender (HO) status occurs when you either accumulate three (3) motor vehicle-related convictions within a five (5) year period or ten (10) moving vilations within a five (5) year period. Perhaps the teacher was fond of using a distinct Maine accent while talking about “Habitual Offend-ah” status, inciting a quiet chuckle in the classroom. Going Habitual Offender is no laughing matter. Being caught driving after going habitual offender is known as Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation.

Habitual Offender Status is a near-permanent suspension of your driver’s license, called revocation. The State of Maine offers few opportunities from relief from Habitual Offender revocation. And, opposed to a “garden variety” charge for Operating After Suspension, a charge for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation is a more serious crime with increasingly draconian mandatory minimum penalties.

If you are already a Habitual Offender, the best advice for you is not to operate a motor vehicle. If you do drive and are caught while your license has been revoked, your first course of action should be to contact a criminal defense attorney to defend your case. The Nielsen Group has proven experience in representing Habitual Offender cases. We are happy to answer your questions and meet with you for a free legal consultation.

If you are facing allegations of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation, this article will help you figure out the impacts of this charge and hopefully answer some of your questions. We will review what you can expect to and what you can do to help your defense.

1. What happens after an Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation Arrest?
2. What are the Maine Law and Penalties for a conviction of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation?
3. How can a criminal defense attorney help to fight an allegation of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation?
4. What are the possible outcomes for an Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation charge?
5. What is the court process for an Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation offense?

If there are any questions that we do not answer concerning your Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation charge, please feel free to contact us.

An example of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation

The Maine Law for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation charges are complicated and quite stringent. There is not a lot of room for finding your way. To help explain what happens after an arrest, here is a fictional example of how easy it is to end up with a charge of Operating After Habitual Offender (HO) Revocation. In our story is a woman named Brandie, a single mom to a preschool-aged daughter who works as a home health aide. Her job requires her to drive her own car to the homes of her elderly clients. Brandie has a big heart. She cares for her daughter and she cares for her elderly clients. However, when it comes to paying attention to her own affairs, she tends to be forgetful.

It all started when she got that speeding ticket that she cannot remember how long ago it happened. Because she never paid the civil fine, her license went under suspension. She continued to drive. She racked up two (2) Operating After Suspension (OAS) criminal charges and one Criminal Speeding charge within the past five (5) years, all the time never adhering to her license suspension requirements, and never taking care of that underlying speeding ticket that started it all.

Each and every time, Brandie took what she thought was the “path of least resistance” by going to the Court, entering a guilty plea, and paying the fine. Because these charges were all low-level misdemeanors, Brandie never thought that her issues were serious enough to talk to an attorney. It was just easier and more convenient for Brandi to go to Court whenever she could squeeze in the time and plead guilty. After she plead guilty and paid the fines, her charges were “out of sight, and out of mind.”

After Brandie’s last Criminal Speeding conviction, the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) designated her as a Habitual Offender (HO) and revoked her driver’s license. The BMV sent her a notice, but Brandie disregarded it without fully understanding what being designated as Habitual Offender meant.

It was only when Brandie was pulled over again for an expired inspection sticker that she got the shock of her life. The officer informed her that she was operating a motor vehicle on a revoked license. “Revoked!” Brandie was horrified. “No one ever told me I was revoked.” This was the first time Brandie focused and realized that there was something serious going on with her driver’s license. Brandie pleaded to the officer, “If I had known that I was revoked, I would not have gotten behind the wheel.” Brandie begged “I am not a criminal!” and then pleaded for the officer to let her go.

The officer was not persuaded and instead arrested Brandie. Since she was alone in her car and there was no one available to come take her car, she watched the tow truck tow her car to the impound lot from the back seat of a police cruiser. At the police station Brandie made bail and was issued a summons for Operating After Revocation. Before she left the officer reminded Brandie that she was not to drive and that she had to appear at Court on the date listed on the Summons for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation. Brandie was beside herself with stress. She needs to drive for her job, and she feels that she has “no one” to help her take care of her daughter. The time had come to contact an attorney.

Law and Penalties for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation

Maine Statute 29-A M.R.S.A. Sec. 2557-A governs Operating after habitual offender revocation.

The elements of an Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation charge are:

• Operating a motor vehicle on a public way
• Operating a motor vehicle when license revoked
• And that person
  • Has received written notice of the revocation from the Secretary of State;
  • Has been orally informed of the revocation by a law enforcement officer;
  • Has actual knowledge of the revocation; or
  • Is a person to whom written notice was sent in accordance with section 2482 or former Title 29, section 2241, subsection 4;

So let’s take a deep look at what these elements mean

Operating a motor vehicle on a public way

Operating a motor vehicle on a public way means you were driving on a road ,whether paved or dirt, that is managed by a state, city or county agency. This term has a broad meaning. The best way to think of it is, if you are on a road that is capable of being traversed by a vehicle, you are on a public way.

Operating a motor vehicle

Operating a motor vehicle means driving or getting ready to drive. Once you are sitting in the driver’s seat and taking actions to start or drive the vehicle, you are considered to be operating the motor vehicle. According to the law, a motor vehicle can be your average car, a commercial motor vehicle, motorcycle, or other motorized vehicle. In some cases, although an ATV is not excluded from the definition of a motor vehicle, it can be considered as one if operated on a public way over a distance. So if you were out driving your ATV on a public road, you can be charge with Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation in Maine.

When License is revoked and that person was sent written notice of the revocation

When it comes to Operating after Habitual Offender Status, the BMV needs to show that you were given notice of the HO designation. Unlike in OAS cases where an individual is presumed to have notice so long as the BMV sends it, in OAR cases, the BMV needs to show you received it. You can also be told of the revocation by a police officer or be made aware during some other transaction with BMV or with the Court where you were informed that you have been designated as Habitual Offender.

The charge of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation is a strict liability crime, meaning that it does not matter whether or not Brandie knew or intended to drive on a revoked license. She drove on a revoked license, period. Therefore, she is facing criminal charges.

For a first offense Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation in the past 10 years, the crime is a Class D misdemeanor. A first offense Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation carries stringent mandatory minimum penalties:

• $500.00 minimum fine
• 30 days minimum jail time

Mandatory minimum penalties mean that they are the least severe penalties that Brandie could expect with a conviction. The Court may not suspend these mandatory minimums, nor can the Court agree to reduce these penalties any further. The maximum penalties for a Class D misdemeanor include up to $2,000.00 in fines and up to 364 days jail time.

If the penalties for a first offense seem overwhelming, they only get worse with subsequent charges:

Fine$500$2,000Jail Time48 hours because of the presence of minors in the vehicle at the time of the stop.Up to 1 yearDriver’s LicenseCourt ordered suspension for 150 days in addition to a BMV suspension of 1 year plus six months for the minor passengers./td>Court ordered and BMV order suspension for 150 days.

Number of Offense for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation	MANDATORY MINIMUM JAIL	MANDATORY MINIMUM FINE
Second Offense or prior OUI within the past 10 years- Class C felony	6 months	$1,000.00
Third Offense or prior OUIs within 10 Years- Class C felony	9 months	$1,000.00
Fourth Offense or prior OUIs within 10 years- Class C felony	2 years	$1,000.00

 

Therefore, Brandie’s habit of “just keep driving” despite any suspensions of her driver’s license now becomes a severe liability. Also, under normal circumstances for a Habitual Offender, the BMV may grant a single opportunity for relief from revocation with a petition after three (3) years have passed. If Brandie gets convicted of violating her revocation, then she loses eligibility for her one and only opportunity for relief. In this case, the revocation would be for a minimum of six (6) years.

Can a charge of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation be Aggravated?

A charge of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation can be Aggravated with the presence of certain aggravating factors, such as:

• If the driver had been stopped for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) at the time of revocation
• If the driver had been stopped for Driving to Endanger (DTE) at the time of revocation
• If the driver had been Eluding an Officer at the time of revocation
• If the driver had passed a roadblock at the time of revocation
• If the driver had been Criminal Speeding at the time of revocation

With the presence of aggravating factors upon conviction, it increases the mandatory minimum penalties that the defendant would face. This fact makes it all the more important for anyone accused of Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation should seek the advice of a criminal defense attorney.

How a Criminal Defense Attorney Can Help

When Brandie met with her criminal defense attorney and found out the severity of what she was facing, she broke down into tears. But with reassurance and some tissues, Brandie came to understand that she had a fighting chance. Some of the things working in her favor were the facts that she had no criminal record aside from the misdemeanor driving crimes, and she had always been a good citizen. It is often not worth the District Attorney’s time to go after small-time crimes when there are far more serious crimes in their caseload.

• Problems with the Stop – Did the officer have the requisite reasonable articulable suspicion to pull you over? Did the officer have the requisite probable cause to arrest Brandie?
• Preserving Any Video Evidence from the Police Cruiser/ Intoxilyzer room – The single best piece of evidence in an OUI case, whether for the State or the defense, is the video from the police cruiser documenting the stop. Was Notice Properly Provided?- In contrast to a typical OAS situation, where the notice standards are less demanding, the BMV has to make sure that you actually receive the Habitual Offender notice in the mail. Since Brandie swears that she never received it, there should be a record of a return of that notice to the BMV office that sent it.
• Were the prior crimes counted towards Brandie’s Habitual Offender status proper? In order to go Habitual Offender, the three motor vehicle crimes counted must be counted properly. Certain offenses are not eligible to be counted towards Habitual Offender status, and so you want to be sure that the ones that were included could be included under Maine law.

 

Possible Outcomes for Operating After Habitual Offender (HO) Revocation

Here are some possible outcomes for a charge of Operating After Habitual Offender (HO) Revocation:

• Dismissal– In the best possible outcome, the District Attorney agrees to dismiss the charge outright.
• Plea Agreement– Through negotiation with the District Attorney, a possible outcome could be arriving at a resolution that would ultimately not impact driving privileges.       This way, the District Attorney’s Office gets their “pound of flesh” and the defendant avoids the mandatory minimum penalties for a conviction.
• Mandatory Minimums– If the defendant is convicted of the charge for Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation, then the least severe sentence would be the mandatory minimum penalties that were described above. Unfortunately, mandatory minimums cannot be reduced any further.

In the event that Brandie faces mandatory minimum penalties, her license remains on Habitual Offender status. When clients face an extended period of license suspension or revocation, I often sit down with them to have a frank discussion about their lifestyle. Often, a person’s life choices, such as where they live and work, are just not compatible with a revoked driver’s license. This will take some difficult lifestyle choices. Instead of living in a rural area that forces her to drive, Brandie could consider moving to an urban area where she would have access to public transportation, which would allow her to get to and from work, and her daughter to and from school, all the while respecting her revocation and avoiding any further criminal trouble.

Court Process for Operating After HO Revocation

Arraignment and Bail

At Arraignment, Brandie answers to the charge in the form of Not Guilty. If she already has a criminal defense attorney, and her OAR is charged as a misdemeanor then she does not have to attend Arraignment in person. However, if Brandie were facing a second offense, in which the charge would be a felony, she would be required to attend all court dates in person.

Dispositional Conference

A dispositional hearing is a court date that determines whether Brandie’s case will be going to trial. At the Dispositional Conference, the attorneys meet to negotiate a potential resolution without going to a trial. Brandie gets to decide whether she is willing to accept any of them. If not, then the case would progress to pretrial hearing and jury trial.

Pretrial Motion Hearing and Trial

If the criminal defense attorney has any reason to believe that any evidence might have been obtained in violation of Brandie’s constitutional rights, then the defense attorney would file a Motion to Suppress that questionable evidence. If the Suppression Motion is successful, the questionable evidence gets left out of evidence at Trial.

Trial

A trial is a person’s very public day in court. Often, defendants face the question whether to have a jury trial or a trial in front of a judge. The judge decides cases based on the letter of the law. However, the jury often can see thing from a Defendants point of view and put themselves in your shoes and reach “reasonable doubt”.

The outcome of the trial is the defendant is found guilty or not guilty by the fact finder. When you have a strong legal advocate, you have a better chance of resolving the charges before ever reaching a trial.

 

For more information on Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation

If this article covering what to expect fighting an Operating After Habitual Offender Revocation allegation was useful to you, you might also like the following:

• Habitual Offender Revocation
• Does the Court make me a Habitual Offender?
• Work Licenses in Maine

 

 

Your driver’s license is a necessity. It helps you get to and from work. Without your driver’s license, you would not be able to get by for very long. Your driver’s license allows you to support yourself and your family. If you cannot get to work reliably, then your employer might decide to let you go. If you drive for your job, such a delivery truck or a something similar, then your driver’s license is indeed your livelihood. And so if your license is at risk, then your future is also at risk. As a result, you want to know, when can I get a work license in Maine? [Read more…] about Work License in Maine

In Maine, your driver’s license can be suspended under a variety of circumstances.  If your driver’s license is from a different State, the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) can suspend your privilege to operate a motor vehicle in the State of Maine.  With some states, this will also impact your home state driver’s license.

If you are facing a Maine Driver’s License Suspension, your ability to support yourself and transport your family is at risk.  The best course of action for you to take, is to hire an aggressive experienced criminal defense attorney to help assure there is minimal impact to your ability to drive.

I am an experienced Criminal Defense lawyer in Maine.  I have handled many Driver’s License suspension cases all across Maine.    I encourage you to check out a few of my victories.

• OAS Charge Dismissed – Client Never Set Foot in a Maine Courtroom
• Habitual Offender Status Dismissed – Changed an existing OAS Guilty Plea

Each case is unique, past results do not predict future outcomes.  If you are facing a Maine Driver’s License Suspension, let’s look at a few things you need to know:

• Reasons why Maine Can Suspend Your Driver’s License
• How a Maine Criminal Defense Attorney Can Help
• What are my risks driving on a suspended license?
• How do I reinstate my driver’s license?

Reasons Why Maine Can Suspend Your Driver’s License:

Here are some of the circumstances in which the State of Maine can suspend your driver’s license:

1. Criminal Charge for Operating Under the Influence (OUI)- Suspension length depends on the type of OUI charge:
   1. First Offense OUI- 150 days
   2. Second Offense OUI- 3 years
   3. Third Offense OUI- 6 years
2. Criminal Conviction for Driving to Endanger (DTE)- 30 days
3. Criminal Conviction for Operating After Suspension (OAS) after an OUI- At least 1 additional year license suspension time
4. Failure to Pay Child Support- suspended until reinstated
5. Failure to Pay License Reinstatement Fee- license remains under suspension until reinstated
6. Failure to Pay Court Fees or Fines- suspended until reinstated
7. Too Many Demerit Points on your Driving Record for Traffic Infractions- More than 12 demerit points in one year- suspended until reinstated
8. Habitual Offender Status- Either three (3) motor vehicle related criminal convictions, ten (10) convictions for moving violations or a combination of both within the past five (5) years, license revoked (suspended indefinitely).

How a Maine Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

A Maine criminal defense lawyer can help you do what is necessary to help you get your license back as soon as possible, whether that means fighting a criminal charge that would suspend your license upon conviction, or working with the BMV to reinstate your license.  Your criminal defense attorney might ask a number of questions, including the following?

• Was your license suspension proper under the circumstances?
• If notice was required, was adequate notice of the suspension received?
• Were you informed by the Court or law enforcement officer that your license was under suspension?
• Where were you operating your motor vehicle while your driver’s license was suspended?
• Did the Bureau of Motor Vehicles register that you in fact paid all of your reinstatement fees/ completed any other requirements for license reinstatement?
• Were you charged with Operating Under the Influence?
• Were you charged with Driving to Endanger?
• Are you facing Habitual Offender Status?

What are my risks driving on a suspended license in Maine?

There are many risks to driving on a suspended license.  Most severe are the risks of criminal charges for OAS as well as a potential Habitual Offender status:

• Criminal Charge for OAS- Penalties for a criminal conviction for Operating After Suspension (OAS) can include fines, and if the OAS follows an OUI, the penalties can also include a mandatory minimum seven (7) day jail sentence and at least one additional year of license suspension time tacked onto your driver’s license suspension.
• Going “HO”- When you accumulate three motor vehicle-related convictions in five years, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles designates you as a Habitual Offender (HO). The driver’s license of a Habitual Offender is revoked, which means that it is suspended indefinitely unless the person petitions to have it reinstated.
• Criminal Charge for OAR- Penalties for a criminal conviction for Operating After Revocation (OAR) can include mandatory jail and fines:
  • For a 1^st Offense OAR the penalty is a mandatory minimum 30 days jail and $500.00 fine.
  • For the 2^nd Offense OAR the penalty is a mandatory minimum 6 month jail and $1000.00 fine.
  • These charges become aggravated and the penalties more severe if there are either previous OUI convictions on your record, you were OUI at the time of the stop or it is 3^rd or subsequent charge for OAR.

 

How do I reinstate my driver’s License?

In most instances, reinstating your Maine driver’s license requires going to your local Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles office and paying any outstanding reinstatement fees.  Also, being able to reinstate your license may also require you to pay any remaining outstanding traffic fines to the Violations Bureau.

If your license suspension was from a Criminal OUI, then your obligations to reinstate your Maine driver’s license is more complicated.  If charged with OUI, in addition to paying reinstatement fees, you also have to complete a DEEP (Drug Education and Evaluation Program) course, with a copy of course completion provided to the Maine BMV.  In the case of an OUI, and you have completed your DEEP course and paid all reinstatement fees, you can opt for an early reinstatement in the form of an Ignition Interlock device (IID), which is an alcohol breathalyzer device connected to the ignition of your car.  If you have any alcohol in your system, the IID will prevent your car from starting.

For more Information

If you liked this article on Maine Driver’s License Suspensions, you may also like the following:

• What happens after my third license suspension?
• How soon can I get my license back?
• When can I get a work-restricted license?
• Maine Operating After Suspension
• Maine Driving to Endanger
• Habitual Offender Revocation
• Maine DEEP
• Ignition Interlock Program
• Maine DUI Defense Attorney Chris A. Nielsen

 

Most of us have gotten a speeding ticket before. A garden-variety speeding ticket is a civil traffic violation. When you want to contest a civil speeding ticket, you return the ticket with the box checked indicating you wish to have a hearing. When the hearing is held, you can attempt to negotiate an agreement to make the speeding ticket go away. If you lose, the worst thing that can happen is that you have to pay a fine. You would only encounter something more severe if another speeding ticket would result in too many demerit points and a license suspension, or you have so many speeding tickets that you would become designated as a Habitual Offender. However, these would be the extremely rare cases.

While most of us are familiar with your average speeding ticket, fewer have encountered a speeding ticket that can result in a criminal conviction. That is what Criminal Speeding in Maine is. When facing a charge of Criminal Speeding, it is important to think of it as something far more serious than “just a speeding ticket.” In contrast to demerit points on your driving record, criminal convictions on your permanent record can have a potentially negative impact on your life over the long term.

If you or someone you know is facing charges of Criminal Speeding in Maine, I encourage you to contact The Nielsen Group for your free legal consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney. Attorney Nielsen will take the time to answer your questions and put your mind at ease.

If you are accused of criminal speeding in Maine, here are a few things you should know:

1. What is criminal speeding in Maine?
2. What are the fines and penalties of a criminal speeding violation
3. What if I was also accused of an OUI and criminal speeding in Maine?
4. What happens to the cost of my car insurance?
5. Why is a public defender not the right choice?
6. How can a criminal defense attorney help fight criminal speeding in Maine charges?

What is Criminal Speeding in Maine?

In practical terms, Criminal Speeding in Maine occurs when you drive 30 miles or over above the posted speed limit. For example, with a posted speed limit of 65 mph, Criminal Speeding in Maine would be 95 mph or over. A criminal complaint alleging Criminal Speeding in Maine from the District Attorney must “specify the speed at which the defendant is alleged to have operated a motor vehicle.” Usually the police measure your speed using radar. As with all crimes in Maine, the burden of proof is on the state to prove the charge of Criminal Speeding in Maine.

The Maine Statute, 29-A M.R.S.A. §2074 (1-A)(3), provides guidance for Criminal Speeding in Maine. In order to be convicted of criminal speeding, the state needs to prove:

1. What is the Maximum Speed in the Area?
2. How you exceeded the maximum speed by at least 30 miles an hour or more.
3. That in fact, you were operating the motor vehicle

Let’s take a hard look at the each of the details.

How is the Maximum Speed Proven?

In most cases, the Maximum Speed is identified by the speeding limit sign. The Maine Statute, Title 29-A §2074, regulates the Rates of Speed. If there was an issue with the signage, it is the responsibility of your lawyer to point out the problem.

How is the vehicle’s speed proven with a criminal speeding in Maine charge?

Under the law, the prosecution has the burden of proof to show how fast you were driving. The Maine Statute, Title 29-A §2075, gives guidance on how to prove speed measurement in criminal speeding in Maine. Measurement can be taken from one of three techniques:

1. Radar: A radar speed gun is basically a Doppler radar unit which is either hand-held or vehicle mounted. It measures the speed by identifying a change in the frequency of the returned radar signal cause by each successive radar wave hitting the vehicle.   Basically it uses some funky science calculating the Doppler Effect.
2. An electronic device which measures speed by lasers or radiomicrowaves: Most common is the modern LIDAR speed gun which uses pulsed light. This device allows police to measure the speed of a single vehicle within traffic.
3. A device which measures how far was traveled in what length of time compared to the average time to travel that specific distance. Commonly this technique is either pacing or aircraft speed detection.   With aircraft speed detection, your speed is calculate by how quickly you traveled between two highway markings.

In Maine, these three techniques are considered sufficient evidence to prove the crime, so the rebuttal is placed upon your criminal speeding defense lawyer.

You were operating the motor vehicle

For a criminal speeding in Maine Charge, the state needs to identify you were the individual driving the vehicle.

The Fines and Penalties of Criminal Speeding in Maine

Criminal Speeding in Maine is a Class E misdemeanor,. A Criminal Speeding in Maine conviction carries a maximum penalty including up to $1,000.00 in fines and/or up to six (6) months (180 days) jail time. Some may consider it shocking that there could be jail time associated with speeding! But if the accused was clocked at speeding over 100 miles per hour on radar, then some District Court Judges require jail time as a part of the penalty.

If you are convicted of Criminal speeding (or if you plead nolo to criminal speeding), there are some downstream consequences.

1. Maine Driver’s License Suspension: The Secretary of the State will notify the Bureau of Motor Vehicles of the conviction. This triggers at least a 30 day administrative license suspension.
2. Habitual Offender Status: a conviction for Criminal Speeding is one of the convictions that would be counted towards a potential Habitual Offender status. A person becomes a Habitual Offender after three (3) serious motor vehicle-related convictions within a five (5) year period. When a person becomes a Habitual Offender, their driving privileges are revoked.

 

Criminal Speeding and OUI

Let’s say when you were arrested for criminal speeding in Maine, you were also accused of a Maine OUI. One of those is additional jail time for first Maine OUI Offenders. If this is your first Maine OUI, normally there is no jail time. However, if you were going over the speed limit by at least 30 miles per hour, you will face a minimum of 48 hours of incarceration.

Criminal speeding and Car Insurance

Having a clean driving record is a money saver. Having a driving record that has some citations can mean hundreds of extra dollars out of your pocket for the next several years. A single criminal speeding conviction can boost your insurance premiums from 15 percent to as much as 22 percent, according to an analysis of over 490,000 policy quotes conducted by Insurance.com. As criminal speeding is assessed by the auto insurance industry once you are convicted you will need to budget for some added car insurance expenses. An attorney can help you fight the charges to avoid conviction of this offense.

Why is a public defender not the right choice?

You may have been offered a public defender to represent you with your charges of criminal speeding in Maine if the State is requesting a jail sentence. This service may be offered at no expense to you. The question is should you choose them or should you invest in a criminal speeding defense attorney?

With public defenders, they have a significant case load which is difficult to balance. Given the overloading volume of work, what happens when anyone is overloaded with work can occur. The question you need to ask yourself is given the risk to your freedom, livelihood and future. Is the money you save today worth the risk?

At the Nielsen Group, not only does Attorney Nielsen know the law. He will know the ins and outs of your case. Attorney Nielsen will be your aggressive advocate in negotiating with the district attorney and defending you in court. If you choose to hire the Nielsen Group, you are more than just another case to us. We put your interests first and in the end, wouldn’t you agree that is more valuable?

How a Criminal Defense Lawyer can Help Fight Criminal Speeding in Maine Charges

Because Criminal Speeding in Maine is a criminal charge, you will need a Maine criminal defense lawyer to help you keep the criminal charge from going on your record. Some areas of attack your lawyer should pursue in your defense include:

Was an accurate measurement of speed taken?

Criminal Speeding in Maine often boils down to radar evidence or a clocked rate of speed from an aircraft. What speed was clocked on the radar? In most Criminal Speeding cases I have represented, the officer has already obtained a speed measurement on radar before pulling over the accused. Generally, radar evidence is considered reliable and can help the State make its case against you beyond a reasonable doubt. If there is no radar measurement, then usually the speed measurement is derived from clocking the rate of speed from an aircraft. If the radar was not functioning properly or if the clocked rate of speed was calculated incorrectly, then the most significant element of a Criminal Speeding charge in Maine would be missing. With essential evidence lacking, the State might not be able to prove the case against you beyond a reasonable doubt.

Did you make any admissions regarding how fast you were going?

After being pulled over, the officer might ask you how fast you thought you were going. This is not a fact-finding question, but a question designed to get you to admit to how fast you were going. Needless to say, but this is not the time to try to “talk” your way out of a speeding ticket, because you are not dealing with a civil ticket but a criminal charge. In Criminal Speeding, admitting to how fast you were going would be the same as a criminal confession.

Will the criminal defense attorney advocate aggressively for a better resolution than just “pleading guilty”?

Because a Criminal Speeding charge is a low-level misdemeanor, you might be tempted to treat it like a civil speeding ticket and just “plead guilty and pay the fine.” Because of the criminal consequences, your criminal defense lawyer should advocate aggressively for a better outcome. Often, Criminal Speeding charges in Maine are resolved involving the following variables:

• Defensive Driving Course. In plea agreements for Criminal Speeding, the State can require that the defendant complete a defensive driving course as a part of an overall plea bargain. The purpose of the defensive driving course is intended to help the defendant appreciate the risks associated with speeding along with other forms of reckless or careless driving.
• Community Service. Community Service is volunteering for a nonprofit organization for a number of hours required by the State, and is usually associated with a plea arrangement. By performing community service, doing something good for the community, the accused can make up for the offense. In Maine, the defendant gets to choose at which nonprofit organization to perform their community service requirement.

Court procedure for Criminal Speeding in Maine

Unified Criminal Docket Court Procedure

If your Criminal Speeding case is scheduled for a first court date in Portland or Bangor, your court procedure would be that of the Unified Criminal Docket. Your first court date would be an Arraignment, where the charges are outlined and you answer Not Guilty to the charge. After Arraignment, the next court date at the Unified Criminal Docket is the Dispositional Conference. At Dispositional Conference, the State’s lawyer and the criminal defense lawyer have a chance to negotiate a possible resolution without going to a Trial. In my experience, most Criminal Speeding cases in Maine are resolved at the Dispositional Conference. If no resolution is reached, then the case would progress to a trial.

A trial is what most people think of as their “day in court.” It is a rare occasion if a criminal speeding case reaches this stage. This is because of the fact that radar is considered to be reliable evidence, and if the State has radar evidence showing that the defendant was speeding 30 miles over the posted speed limit, then the State has met its burden. When the State has a strong case, it is generally not recommended for the defendant to pursue a trial. In criminal speeding cases, the best outcomes arise from the Dispositional Hearing and would not arise out of a trial.

District Court Procedure

Because Criminal Speeding is a misdemeanor criminal charge, the case would start out at the Maine District Court. The first court date at the District Court is an Arraignment, which is usually provided on the criminal Summons or your bail bond. At Arraignment, the details of the charge are read to you and you have the opportunity to answer to the charge in the form of Not Guilty. If you have already hired a criminal defense lawyer to represent you, then you would not have to attend Arraignment in person.

At the District Court, your next court date is a Bench Trial, which is a trial held in front of a Judge. Before the Bench Trial, the lawyers have an opportunity to meet to discuss a possible agreement to resolve the case without going to trial. Usually, in Criminal Speeding cases, the State can reach an agreement when the defendant would stay out of trouble and meet a few requirements in exchange for a civil speeding ticket instead of the criminal speeding charge. If no agreement is reached, then the Bench Trial would move forward, and the Judge would determine whether or not you are guilty or not guilty.

Contact a Maine Criminal Defense Attorney

In situations like these, your ability to drive is at risk.  It is important that you take swift action to have an advocate counsel you how to navigate the Maine legal system and assure there is minimal impact to your future.  There are proven strategies to defending Criminal Speed in Maine charges. The sooner our legal team becomes involved in the intricate details of case, the more time we will have to do our own fact finding as we help to prepare your defense. Effective action taken by a skilled Maine criminal speeding defense lawyer as soon as the charges are filed by the DA sometimes can result in a lesser charge or in some cases prevent any additional charges from being filed. Whether this is a single offense or combined with a first Maine OUI Offense, it is imperative that you contact our firm as quickly as possible after the arrest.
 
It is well worth your time to check out:

• Our recent proven case results
• Client testimonials from our service

If you would like to call us now at (207) 571-8555, we can begin to develop your case strategy.
 

For More Information

If you liked this article on criminal speeding in Maine, you might also like these articles:

• Habitual Offender Status
• Relief from Habitual Offender Status
• Driving to Endanger
• When Can I get a Work-restricted license?
• Operating After Suspension

Driving to Endanger (DTE) is often referred to as reckless driving or dangerous driving. While it might be acceptable to drive like Dale Earnhardt competing in NASCAR, outside of the track, that kind of driving would be considered Driving to Endanger (DTE). If you find yourself accused of Driving to Endanger, you should be aware that the penalties range from a license suspension for a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of 180 days and a fine of $575.00. A Driving to Endanger conviction counts towards a Habitual Offender Revocation of your Maine driver’s license.

If you or someone you know is facing a charge of Driving to Endanger, you most likely have questions about how to fight the charge and what the impacts of simply pleading away the charge are. Please feel free to call me and we can discuss your specific situation to see what the impacts are to you driver’s license.   Our free and confidential legal consultation is to give you an opportunity to have your questions and answered. Let’s start with understanding a bit about the Driving to Endanger Law and the penalties. In this article we will review:

• How Maine Driving to Endanger is defined and what must be proven?
• What are the penalties for Driving to Endanger?
• How a Maine criminal defense attorney can help defend against a Driving to Endanger Charge.
• The Maine Court Process for those facing Driving to Endanger Charge.
• The impacts to your Maine Driver’s License.

How Maine Driving to Endanger is defined

As with all charges, there are clear criteria which need to be proven by the prosecution to earn a guilty verdict. Under Maine Statue 29-A M.R.S.A. §2413 (1), Driving to Endanger occurs when a person “drives a motor vehicle in any place in a manner that endangers the property of another or a person, including the operator or passenger in the motor vehicle being driven.”

Let’s start looking at the facts the prosecution must prove.

1. You must be the driver of the motor vehicle. The driving to endanger charge is placed upon the driver.
2. You were driving in a criminally negligent manner. Here the key point is the manner which you were operating the motor vehicle placed either yourself, the people in the car, or the other drivers on the road in a potentially dangerous situation.   The law also extends to the property of others or yourself.

You should note that there are no clauses for intention here. The State’s attorney does not need to prove that the crime was purposefully committed. The reason behind this is that with a Driving to Endanger charge, the statutory “state of mind” of the offender is that of “criminal negligence.” Looking at Maine Statute 17-A M.R.S.A. §35(4) for guidance. “Criminal Negligence” is “when the person fails to be aware of a risk that the person’s conduct will cause such a result, or when the person fails to be aware of a risk that such circumstances exist.” Criminal negligence standard looks at how a “reasonable and prudent person” would view the situation. “Criminal negligence” means acting oblivious as to the risks created by their course of conduct. In summary, it is just not necessary for the State’s attorney to allege the facts pertinent to the person’s state of mind (i.e. intentionally, knowingly or recklessly) in a Driving to Endanger charge.

The State of Maine does allow for a few exceptions to the Driving to Endanger statute. Specifically excluded from Driving to Endanger are participants in an auto race and those driving on private land to which the public does not have access or with the authorization of the landowner.

The Penalties for a Driving to Endanger Conviction

A charge for Driving to Endanger is a Class E misdemeanor, which is the least severe class of crime in Maine. The penalties for a conviction for a Class E Driving to Endanger include the mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days loss of license and a mandatory fine in the amount of $575.00. The maximum license suspension period is 180 days. In my practice, I see far more mandatory minimums than maximum penalties for a Driving to Endanger conviction.

How a Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help

In order to convict you, the State needs to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your actions met the statutory elements of the crime accused. As your criminal defense lawyer, it is my responsibility to reveal the reasonable doubt whether your actions rise to the level of a charge of Driving to Endanger. When examining your case, I often look at these aspects:

What does your driving record look like?

Since a Maine charge of Driving to Endanger is a motor vehicle-related crime, it is included in the list of offenses that are counted towards a potential Habitual Offender revocation. Because of this, it is important for your criminal defense lawyer to know what your recent driving history looks like. Do you have other motor vehicle-related convictions within the past five (5) years? If so, does the Driving to Endanger charge count as a third towards a Habitual Offender revocation? We will need to work together to mitigate the risks.

Where were you driving?

The Driving to Endanger (DTE) statute indicates that you need to be driving on a public road. Usually this is not an issue because so many roads are public roads.

Was there any danger present?

Did your driving almost take out a mailbox, or in fact damage another person’s property in any way? Was your own car damaged? Was anyone seriously hurt, including you?

Could a Driving to Endanger (DTE) charge be used as a bargaining chip in a different criminal case?

Sometimes, a charge of Driving to Endanger does not come up by itself, but a Driving to Endanger charge can be used as a bargaining chip to resolve a criminal case for a more serious charge, such as drunk driving. Sometimes if a person’s blood alcohol level is 0.08 or less in a drunk driving case, I can often see an offer from the State to resolve the case in the form of a Driving to Endanger (DTE) charge. However this usually raises a red flag for me regarding the OUI charge. It is just not common for the State to offer the Driving to Endanger (DTE). The State may be aware of problems with the OUI charge.

Example of a Driving to Endanger (DTE) Case

This is an example of a Driving to Endanger (DTE) case based on an experience from a client. Whether or not someone can be described as driving dangerously often depends on the way that driving is perceived by others. In this case, my client was driving home at night with a friend. Because the road was not well lit, my client claimed he did not see an obstruction in the road until he was nearly on top of it, forcing him to maneuver abruptly around the obstruction into oncoming traffic. Typically, I feel that swerving your car to avoid hitting an obstruction is the right thing to do, but reasonable minds may differ. Unfortunately for my client, when he swerved across the center of the road to avoid the obstruction, he had the bad luck of nearly driving a Maine State Trooper off the road.

When the Trooper stopped my client, he attempted to explain to the officer that he had been avoiding the obstruction in the road, but the Trooper still felt that my client committed a Driving to Endanger (DTE) . The Trooper issued my client a Summons for Driving to Endanger.

In my client’s case, the biggest weakness in the State’s investigation for Driving to Endanger was that the trooper’s report failed to document my client’s assertions that he had swerved his car to avoid the obstruction in the road. After the Driving to Endanger (DTE) stop, my client and his friend returned and took pictures of the obstruction. These pictures, as well as the witness statement of my client’s friend, tended to bolster my client’s version of the event.

The question was whether or not it was negligent of my client to have not observed the obstruction in the road. Since the alleged victim was a Maine State Trooper, the State wanted a trial and we were ready for it. Remember that reasonable person standard? During a dispositional conference before trial I had argued that it was objectively reasonable under the situation to have avoided the obstruction. The State felt that my client was not paying enough attention to the road and had he been he would not have nearly caused an accident with the Trooper. Ultimately, to avoid the possibility of losing the case, the District Attorney offered to dismiss the criminal Driving to Endanger (DTE) charge, if my client accepted, a civil traffic ticket, requiring only a fine. When I shared with my client this offer, my client focused on

• The fact that there would be no criminal conviction. The Driving to Endanger (DTE)   would be dismissed.
• There would be no license suspension with this offer.
• The proposed fine was significantly less then the mandatory minimum $575.00.
• The new civil traffic ticket could not be counted as a motor vehicle crime with respect to a Habitual Offender calculation. (There would be no additional conviction which would count towards a Habitual offender revocation.)

The offer made my client very happy as the criminal charges were dismissed and he did not have to roll the dice with the Jury.  As you can see, a charge of Driving to Endanger (DTE) in Maine is defendable, especially if you have a good Maine Criminal Defense Lawyer on your side.

Maine Court Process for a Driving to Endanger Charge

Another area your lawyer can help is to review the legal procedure and what to expect. In Maine we have two processes which I’ll review to give you a frame of reference on what to expect and how an attorney can assist you in fighting a Driving to Endanger (DTE) charge. You will only go through one process, but it depends upon the county where the charge was placed. As always if you have any questions, please give me a call.

Unified Criminal Docket Procedure DTE

Since a Driving to Endanger charge is a misdemeanor, the first court date is an Arraignment at the Unified Criminal Docket, which is in effect in Cumberland County and Penobscot County only. Often, I will submit a plea of Not Guilty in writing to the Court prior to Arraignment, and so the first court date that the defendant attends in person is the Dispositional Conference. A Dispositional Conference is where the attorneys negotiate a potential resolution to the case without going to trial, and the attorneys conference with the Judge or Justice about any specific issues.

District Court Procedure DTE

A Driving to Endanger (DTE) charge is a misdemeanor. The first court date for a Driving to Endanger charge is an Arraignment at the Maine District Court. Maine District Courts are located throughout Maine excluding Cumberland County and Penobscot County  Depending on the facts of the case, I might choose to keep the Driving to Endanger case at the District Court, with a Bench Trial in front of a Judge as a fact finder. Immediately preceding the Bench Trial, a Suppression Hearing can be held. The purpose of the Suppression Hearing is to determine whether certain evidence was obtained in violation of the defendant’s constitutional rights, and thus whether that evidence can be used at trial. In some Driving to Endanger (DTE) cases, the charge is transferred to the Superior Court for a potential Jury Trial. In order to transfer the case to the Superior Court, your criminal defense lawyer would submit what is called a Jury Trial Request.

What are the impacts of a Driving to Endanger Charge on my License?

If convicted a Driving to Endanger Charge, your Maine driver’s license will be suspended for at least 30 days.   You will not be able to drive for 30 days. Once thirty days has passed, you will need to request your license is be reinstated at the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). BMV will look to see if there are any other cases pending which would prevent the reinstatement. If all looks good from the evaluation, BMV will reinstate your driver’s license.

What happens if my Driver’s License is from a different State?

If you do not have a Maine Driver’s license, the outcomes change a bit.

Technically, the State of Maine can only suspend your driving privileges in the State of Maine. If your license comes from a different State, you will not be able to drive in Maine However, the state of Maine will notify the department of Motor Vehicles in your home state. Your Department of Motor Vehicles might also suspend your driver’s license in your home state. How long such a suspension might be depends on the laws of your home state. For example, if you are from Massachusetts, the Mass. RMV will suspend for 60 days if notified of a Maine DTE conviction.

Contact a Maine Criminal Defense Attorney

When you are facing a Driving to Endanger Offense, your driving license is in jeopardy. Taking swift action to have an aggressive seasoned criminal defense attorney will help to assure there is minimal impact. Your attorney can also help you navigate the Maine legal system.  As we have reviewed, there e are proven strategies to defending a Driving to Endanger charge. The sooner our legal team becomes involved in the intricate details of case, the more time we will have to do our own fact finding as we help to prepare your defense. Effective action taken by a skilled criminal defense lawyer as soon as the charges are filed by the DA sometimes can result in a lesser charge or in some cases prevent any additional charges from being filed. Whether the Driving to endanger charge is due to speeding, property damage, or a plea offer, it only helps you to contact our firm as quickly as possible after the arrest.

Our committed legal team is determined to take immediate action to seek a positive case outcome.  If you or someone you know is charged with Driving to Endanger in Maine, I encourage you to contact The Nielsen Group for your free legal consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney.  We will take the time to answer your questions and to put your mind at ease as we work with you to determine a defense strategy.

It is well worth your time to check out:

• Our recent proven case results
• Client testimonials from our service

If you would like to call us now at (207) 571-8555, we can begin to develop your case strategy.

If you liked this article on Driving to Endanger within Maine, you might like these other articles

• Maine Operating After Suspension
• DUI Defense
• Drunk Driving Involving Drugs
• Will a Criminal Conviction Affect my Professional License?