West Virginia University DUI Defense
Almost 30,000 college students attend West Virginia University in Morgantown, and their safety both on and off-campus is the responsibility of several police forces, including campus police (WVU Police), the Morgantown Police Department, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office. Part of the police officer’s role as law enforcement officers is to arrest impaired drivers.
In addition to helping WVU students, DUI defense attorney Harley Wagner receives desperate phone calls from alumni, parents, and Mountaineer football fans who were in Morgantown for a home game. The basketball team has also flirted with national prominence, but these home games bring smaller crowds to Morgantown. Public safety officers cover the city and county of Monongalia for these events.
Many clients call us and ask their first question: “Is a DUI a felony?” Because they were arrested, they think that their criminal charge must be a WV DUI felony. Most drunk drivers are a first offense DUI, about 90% are for alcohol only, and well over 90% of driving under the influence cases are a misdemeanor DUI.
Citizens arrested for drunken driving may be charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, alcohol and drugs, driving while impaired by marijuana or after taking prescription medications (DUI-drugs). The Wagner Law Firm also has handled cases for a parent who was in Morgantown for purposes of moving their child into a new dorm or new apartment. Some citizens are arrested for DUI in WV at a DUI checkpoint, set up late at night, after the main traffic jams have subsided.
Many out-of-state drivers travel on local roads, including Interstates 68 and 79, and Don Knotts Blvd, and suddenly hear a police siren and see flashing blue lights behind them. Being handcuffed and driven to jail is traumatic enough without having to travel back to Morgantown for court over the next year or more. Such costly time away from work is disruptive and can signal an employer that “something is wrong.”
