New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
Were you arrested in Holmdel based on allegations of driving while intoxicated (DWI)? If you find yourself faced with such a situation, you should know that our firm, the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, has significant experience in drunk driving defense in the Municipal Court of Holmdel NJ. In fact, a senior member of our staff, Thomas Campo, is the former prosecutor of Holmdel. He knows the ins and outs of DWI and is extremely familiar with the personnel and practices of the court. The rest of our staff is also formidable with multiple lawyers who are dual certified on the Alcotest Breath Test Machine and in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (i.e. there are only approximately 15 dual certified attorneys in the state and 5 are at our firm). We also happen to be one of only two offices in the NJ with its own Alcotest.
The Judge in Holmdel is the Honorable Mary Casey, J.M.C. While Judge Casey is very fair, there are certain mandatory penalties that the court must impose if you are convicted of DWI. For a first offense, your license must be suspended for at least 3 months and can be up to 12 months if your blood alcohol content was .10% or higher. A second offense carries a mandatory two (2) year license suspension. A third triggers a ten (10) year loss of your motor vehicle license. The financial consequences of a conviction are likewise significant. In fact, the court has no authority to even suspend the mandatory surcharge of $1,000 to $1,500 per year for three (3) years that applies to First, Second and Third offenses. There are other mandatory fines, assessments, and monetary consequences, including increased insurance costs. The installation of an ignition interlock is mandated for readings in excess of .15% and for conviction on a second offense or third offense.
Individuals often believe that once a DWI ticket is written, the case against them is over. This is clearly a major misconception. The defense attorneys at our firm have considerable success in having breath test readings knocked out of cases and also in winning cases on field sobriety issues. The key to success in this regard is experience, knowledge, and commitment to success in our view. If you are serious about defending your Holmdel DWI, give us a call.