Woman gets five years in prison for 4th DUI

A St. Augustine woman who taped a picture of herself onto someone else’s driver’s license was sentenced to five years in prison for her fourth DUI conviction. When Denise Boman, 62, was pulled over in June, she handed police the homemade license and drove off, crashing into a utility pole, according to a report on News4Jax. She also pleaded guilty to possessing a forged driver’s license.

The more DUIs a person has on their record – the tougher the penalties get. In Boman’s case, she was charged with a felony because it was her fourth DUI. Even a third driving under the influence charge in a 10-year span is considered a felony. Most people only spend that first night in jail when they are arrested on their first or second offense. Common penalties include probation, a driver’s license suspension and substance abuse education.

But once it becomes a pattern, the stakes ratchet up.

Most people aren’t thinking down the road the morning they appear in court after a DUI arrest. They plead guilty; they think they’re getting it over with and moving on. But those pleas can not only hurt you at the time, but can hurt down the road should you find yourself afoul of the law again. When police stop someone for DUI, there are specific rules they must follow. The rules are precise and any misstep by an officer – intentional or not – could turn the case. Our St. Johns County DUI attorney has seen hundreds of DUI cases get reduced to reckless driving or, at times, dismissed entirely. Even having one of Boman’s convictions knocked down to a reckless driving would have her serving far less than the five years she was sentenced to last week.

If you or a loved one needs a DUI attorney in St. Augustine or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm, PA at (904) 365-5200 for a free consultation. Our St. Johns County criminal lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.