Facts:
My client stopped by Salty J’s on 4th St. in St. Petersburg after work. As she pulled out of the small parking lot, she was in a minor accident. Seeing no damage, she began to pull away and the other driver called the police. The St. Petersburg Police Department arrived and my client was investigated for DUI. She was eventually arrested for DUI and leaving the scene. During the search of her car, they found Xanax pills not inside a prescription bottle. Despite the fact that my client told the officers that she had a prescription, she was arrested for a felony possession of a controlled substance too.
She was taken to the Pinellas County jail and was eventually released on bond. She then hired me to help.
The Case:
The easiest part of the case was the felony charge. She immediately provided me with her prescription and that charge was dropped. The case was then reassigned to misdemeanor prosecutors.
My client was not eligible for the diversion program in Pinellas called DROP because of the accident. I had her complete DUI school, the MADD victim impact panel, and community service. She also began counseling.
Because of the accident, I also had her report the incident to her insurance company. Fortunately, the only damage to the other vehicle was rubber transfer from her tire and it was easily removed.
I then sent all of the information to the prosecutor and asked for a reduction of the DUI charge to a reckless driving.
The Result:
It took a lot of work to push this case across the finish line, but the prosecutor eventually agreed to amend the DUI to a reckless driving. My client really did a great job following my instructions and helping herself. At the end of the case, the felony had been dropped and she got basically the same penalty had she been allowed to enter the DROP program. She was very happy to avoid both a felony and a DUI on her record.
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