Charge: Operating a Motor Vehicle after License has been Revoked (OAR)
Mandatory Minimum Penalty: 30 days jail; $1,000.00 fine
Maximum Penalty: 364 days jail; $2,000.00 fine
Summary: Client never obtained a license but inexplicably, continued to drive in Maine without a valid license. Client had numerous convictions for operating without a license, which resulted in the BMV declaring the client as an habitual offender and suspending the client for 3 years. Client decided to continue to drive, in spite of the revocation, and ended up in a 2 car accident. The police responded to the scene and my client was arrested.
Result: My client is a local Maine college student who exercised bad judgment. However, I was able to convince the DA to give my client one last chance based on my client’s willingness to stay on the scene of the accident (IE, he/she didn’t flee) and his/her honesty with the police officer. DA agreed to a deferred disposition for 1 year with a condition that the client not drive unless lawfully licensed. At the end of 1 year, the case would be dismissed and the client would plead guilty to Operating after Suspension (OAS) for a $200.00 fine and 48 hours in the Alternative Sentencing Program. Client was thrilled as his/her prior attorney was perfectly willing to plead the client to the original charge, essentially “throwing the client under the bus”!