Knowing the OWI Court Process is Crucial. Being arrested for OWI will set in motion a legal process that will always go through various procedures or stages. They include:
- Arraignment
An OWI case will start with an initial court appearance which is known as an arraignment. The reason for the arraignment is to figure out what measures are important to guarantee your appearance at future court hearings.
- Discovery
Discovery explains the different techniques utilized by your lawyer to gain proficiency with the entirety of the facts about your case that are known to the police and prosecutor. This will incorporate things like the narrative report prepared by the officer that arrested you, any videotapes that may exist, and any maintenance records kept by the state about any chemical test that may have been carried out during your arrest.
- Pre-trial Hearing
After the discovery stage, one or more pretrials take place. A pretrial is basically a scheduling conference, which you have to attend. The reason for a pretrial is to permit the prosecutor and the defense lawyer to examine what needs to be done to set up the case for trial, or to decide whether the case can be settled without a trial.
- OWI Motions
OWI motions entail the various written legal arguments that your lawyer may make to either dismiss or altogether decrease your pending OWI charges. Motions are used to address statutory and constitutional violations.
- DUI Evidentiary Hearings
On the off chance that the motion filed will require the court to hear testimony from at least one witness, then an evidentiary hearing will be fixed. It’s important to note that this isn’t a trial. Its purpose is to ask the court to make a ruling, before trial, on some part of the proof, consequently the expression “evidentiary hearing.”
- Trial
At long last, the real OWI trial happens soon after the pretrial motions are finished. Although most cases are resolved before this event, your case may go before a jury. On the off chance that you are found not guilty, all charges will be dropped. Be that as it may, if the prosecution proves you committed the offense in question, you will be sentenced not long after your trial. Penalties for OWI may include fines, license suspension, and prison time.
The sooner you contact a lawyer, the more options you will have to fight OWI charges. Talk to an OWI defense lawyer today. At Mullen Schlough & Associates S.C., they offer a free initial consultation to discuss the OWI court process.
