Caught driving on suspended license

[cero]

Before we start, let me first state that I already know how stupid I am for driving while my license is suspended, and that I had less than a month left on my 6 month suspension.

So my license was suspended in the first place for 6 months because of moving violations (3 speeding tickets, all seperate), and I am still on my provisional. I am 21 years old, and have not yet been able to go a year and a half without a citation.

So I get pulled over 2 nights ago for having a head light out that I was unaware of. I actually pulled into the 7-11 and parked and the police officer kind of pulled in next to me at an angle. He asked me for my license and all, then they put me into handcuffs after checking and finding out it was suspended. They told me that I could have been arrested right there but instead they decided to give me two citations for driving on a suspended license.

1) Driving while on a suspended license
2) Driving while on a suspended license under (17-106,26-204,26-206,27-103)

I then had to leave my car there and get it the next day, I ended up getting a cab home instead of being arrested and taken down to the station. I have to go to a preliminary inquiry by Wednesday. I'm wondering if I should bring a lawyer to the preliminary or is that just a waste of money? What am I looking at here? I've heard of people getting a weekend in jail over something stupid like this.. I've also been told many many fines.. and revoketion of license which is what I'm afraid of.

[SKL]

what state are you in?

it all depends.

generally speaking this is prob. a misdemeanor, jail is unlikely, fines a certainty, and revocation of license possible to probable.

[Johnny1]

My instinct here: If you don't want to have your license revoked, hire a criminal lawyer experienced in vehicle cases, and bring him or her to the prelim. Get that lawyer involved from the start. If there's a way to get out of this without your license being revoked, the lawyer will know about it.

[cero]

what state are you in?

it all depends.

generally speaking this is prob. a misdemeanor, jail is unlikely, fines a certainty, and revocation of license possible to probable.

Maryland.

& I will be calling lawyers tommorow to try to find one specializing in this category. Have either of you ever been in this sort of situation?

[dshock]

wow, if you live in Philadelphia and drive on a suspended licsence they take you to jail, no questions asked

[NW-baltiland]

well they can take you to jail in maryland but most of the time they let you catch a ride home unless its your 3'rd or 4'th time. i've gone to jail 4 times from driving on suspended and had up to $45,000 bail for One FTA in baltimore city. i figured i'll go to bail review in the morning and i'll prolly get released on my own recon or get my bail lowered to below $5,000 and be able to get out for less than $500. i guess the judge didn't get any poon from his wife or something cause he kept my bail the same. almost $50,000 for failing to appear on a driving on a suspended license charge, its crazy. sorry im ranting.

[ChemicalSmiles]

well they can take you to jail in maryland but most of the time they let you catch a ride home unless its your 3'rd or 4'th time. i've gone to jail 4 times from driving on suspended and had up to $45,000 bail for One FTA in baltimore city. i figured i'll go to bail review in the morning and i'll prolly get released on my own recon or get my bail lowered to below $5,000 and be able to get out for less than $500. i guess the judge didn't get any poon from his wife or something cause he kept my bail the same. almost $50,000 for failing to appear on a driving on a suspended license charge, its crazy. sorry im ranting.

so what ended up happening?

[NW-baltiland]

so what ended up happening?

i had to wait a month and half till i went to court and i got a year unsupervised probation. fuck that judge.

[Two_in_the_pink]

Wow your lucky they didn't tow your car. When I got arrested for oas, they towed my car to the impound. It was 95$ for the tow, and 45$ per day in the impound. I picked it up like a week later. It blew. Your lucky.

[Two_in_the_pink]

where the hell are my posts?

[Johnny1]

^ See the notice in huge letters on the front page of this forum.

[Two_in_the_pink]

Wow, I'm an idiot.

[Johnny1]

^ Nah, this happens every day here.

[Daedalus705]

Wow your lucky they didn't tow your car. When I got arrested for oas, they towed my car to the impound. It was 95$ for the tow, and 45$ per day in the impound. I picked it up like a week later. It blew. Your lucky.

The only reason they didn't is because it was on private property(7-11). If it was on the side of the road they definitely would have. I got caught up in a sting operation once and everyone got their cars towed except me because i was the only one in the driveway, the rest were parked (legally) on the side of the road.

[dshock]

^Thats bullshit

[Johnny1]

^ This is ambiguous, dshock. Can you please clarify?

[dshock]

Certainly,
I was commenting on the conduct of the police.
The way that they pick and choose to "abide" by certain rules and whatnot. I have some stories where police have made illegal entrances and were unable to make arrests, but took the chance to be assholes anyways.
Reminded me of that, and I call bullshit on the cops

[timely16]

I was charged with driving on a suspended license. I received a fine around $550 and another 6 month suspension. No jail time. I understand that punishment can vary by locale, but if they didn't take you to jail on the spot, you're probably in a more lenient neck of the woods. I was in a shit town the closest jail was 30 miles away, so they took me to a holding room in the court house and processed me there. If a friend had not come to bail me out, I would have been taken to the jail for the night. So, basically, I WAS arrested and that's the punishment that I got.

[cero]

Thanks for all the replies. I talked to my public defender today (court is on thursday). He said he's almost positive I won't get any jail time. But a chance I will get the 12 points on my license, and will most likely get suspended for longer. He said he's going to try to get a jury trial so atleast then my suspension would have been up.

One thing I should add the cops did find like 1/2 gram - 1 gram of pot in the car, but they did not charge me for it, and they did not say they were going to or anything. I'm wondering if they will bring up the fact I had it in court. If so, there would be more of a chance I would get a more punishable sentence, hopefully not jail.

[Missykins]

Thanks for all the replies. I talked to my public defender today (court is on thursday). He said he's almost positive I won't get any jail time. But a chance I will get the 12 points on my license, and will most likely get suspended for longer. He said he's going to try to get a jury trial so atleast then my suspension would have been up.

One thing I should add the cops did find like 1/2 gram - 1 gram of pot in the car, but they did not charge me for it, and they did not say they were going to or anything. I'm wondering if they will bring up the fact I had it in court. If so, there would be more of a chance I would get a more punishable sentence, hopefully not jail.

That was pretty generous of them, I suspect. Your attorney should know whether or not you will be charged for that--it won't come up as a "oh, by the way..."