Articles Posted in DWI Trial and Discovery

If you have been researching second offense DWI penalties in New Jersey, I am sure it is clear at this point that if you are convicted as a second offender, you face a mandatory 2 year loss of license in New Jersey.

I represented a client charged with his second offense. His prior offense happened in 2004 so he was not eligible for the “10 year step-down.” His case presented some interesting issues, but the facts were not in his favor. However, when facing punishment as a second or subsequent DWI defendant, the court leaves you little choice other than to go to trial.

In this particular case, there was a strong possibility that if we went to trial and lost, the state would be asking for jail time, and I was inclined to believe the court would impose it.

First, you may hear attorneys talk about discovery. Discovery is what any experienced attorney will request from the State during the trial preparation phase of a DWI matter. Discovery consist of many different items. My discovery demand consists of about thirty different items, including police reports, videos recordings, Alcotest instrument certification documents, digital data, CAD reports, just to name a few.

Second, what is the significance of this process. Well, many of the items that I request in my discovery demand are directly related to the admissibility of the Alcotest readings. Others will help us make important probable cause determinations, like video recordings and audio recordings. Some relate to the timing of the arrest and subsequent testing which will determine if certain timing related procedural requirements were violated.

Most importantly, in many instances, if you don’t demand it, and you don’t know what to ask for, you will lose you case. It is that simple.

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