St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, and many North Carolinians will be out celebrating the holiday. Unfortunately, in the past many people have been known to celebrate a bit too hard.

In 2016, North Carolina law officers made a whopping 790 DWI arrests during the four-day St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Of those, 718 arrests were related to alcohol use, with the rest being drug related. The top county for arrests was Cumberland County with a total of 89. In the Triangle region, the top county was Wake County with 34 arrests. You can [...]

If you were recently arrested and charged with DWI in North Carolina, you are probably wondering what happens next in the process. In this post, we will outline the steps of a DWI case for you and advise you on what to do next.

Your Arraignment

The first step after the arrest is your arraignment. This is a court hearing where a judge will read the charges against you. You will be asked to enter a plea. In most cases, your attorney will advise you to enter a plea of “not guilty.”

The [...]

Did you know you can get a DWI charge in North Carolina without actually drinking beer, wine, or liquor? Case-in-point: a Morganton man is facing DWI charges for ingesting too much vanilla extract.

Travis Williams, 43, crashed his truck into a utility pole during a recent rainstorm. When the police arrived, they noticed Williams’ slurred speech, dazed look, and a strong vanilla odor emanating from the vehicle. His breathalyzer test produced a reading that was more than triple the legal limit.

Upon searching the vehicle, officers found five bottles of vanilla extract. [...]

In North Carolina, charges for driving while intoxicated (DWI) come with significant penalties.

Not only can you face jail time and lose driving privileges, the costs alone can be a significant blow. Thankfully there are a number of potential defenses that you may be able to use. With a skilled criminal attorney by your side, you may be able to get your charges reduced or dropped, depending on the details of your situation.

The burden of proof lies in two main areas. The prosecution must be able to prove that you were indeed [...]