When a teacher gets a DWI it leads to many questions about what will happen next? Will the teacher lose the teaching position he or she has worked so hard to get? Will my students find out? What are the chances of jail time? What about driving privileges? These are scary questions. Fortunately, there are many things a skilled DWI attorney can do to challenge and mitigate the consequences of a DWI for a teacher.
My name is Jason Korner and I am a criminal defense attorney with a focus on DWI defense. The very first jury trial in my career was defending a teacher in a DWI case in Columbia, Missouri. She was a teacher from the St. Louis area, but was visiting some friends in Columbia. She was driving at night, in the rain, in a poorly marked construction area, in an area she did not know well. The Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper who pulled her over subjected her to field sobriety tests she was not fit to take due to health reasons. Unfortunately for her, Columbia, Missouri prosecutors are not as compassionate as many other prosecutors when it comes to these issues. With a DWI conviction looming, we chose to take the case to a jury trial. The jury only took 45 minutes to decide she was not guilty.
Not all DWI cases go to a jury trial, many do not, but it is important to have a results-oriented lawyer who will fight the case and allow a teacher to remain in the classroom. Fighting a case takes on different meaning in different cases. Sometimes it is skillful negotiations with the prosecutor, and other times it means filing motions or going to trial. The most important thing is to do everything possible to keep a teaching career on track.
If you or a loved one is a teacher, or looking to pursue a career in teaching, and been arrested for DWI, then contact my office at 314-409-2659 or click here to fill out information and my office will contact you. You will receive a free consultation to answer your questions and to discuss your case.