Westport Felony Hit and Run Lawyer
Westport felony evading responsibility charges occur when a serious physical injury is caused. That usually includes some sort of broken bones or someone being taken to a hospital. This felony charge carries a 10-year maximum jail sentence.
A prosecutor will need to prove that an individual willfully left the scene of a car accident knowing that an individual has caused serious physical injury to another person. It is critical that an individual should speak to an experienced evading responsibility lawyer prior to making statements to the police or going to court.
Consequences of Felony Charges
An individual can get in jail for up to 10 years and have a felony record for the rest of their life so it is very important to make sure that they do not plead guilty without exhausting their defense strategies.
Alternate Sentencing Possibilities
It is possible for an individual to get probation instead of jail time or a fine for Westport felony evading responsibility charges. When an individual is arrested for Evading Responsibility, their attorney can engage in a lengthy negotiation process with state prosecutors.
The options for disposition can result in many different results such as a suspended sentence with probation, a fine, community service, or hopefully no criminal conviction so that an individual can may suspend the prosecution with what’s called a motion for suspension of prosecution and the granting of a first-time offender’s program called Accelerated Rehabilitation.
Defining Accelerated Rehabilitation
Accelerated Rehabilitation is a program where a judge can essentially suspend the prosecution or “freeze” the case. If Accelerated Rehabilitation / AR is granted in Norwalk Court, then the judge will suspend the proceeding and the prosecution of the case, sometimes even over the objections of the state’s attorney, also known as the prosecutor, and will then order a dismissal date for the case which can be anywhere from one month to two years’ time.
If an individual stays out of trouble and if they comply with the conditions of their Accelerated Rehabilitation Program, which is often community service, driver’s education classes or counseling, then the judge will dismiss and expunge the case.
Felony Evading Penalties
Some outcomes include probation, jail time, fines, and/or community service. One major consequence of a Westport Connecticut Evading Responsibility arrest is with the Connecticut DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles, and results in a mandatory driver’s license suspension which always follows a guilty plea and conviction for Evading Responsibility.