Repeat DUI Offender Statutes Increasingly Complex
Questions often arise as to how long the "look back" period is for purposes of enhancing DUI penalties or elevating DUI charges to felony status. There's no easy answer to that question, and not only because state laws vary. The number of DUI convictions and the time period considered for enhanced penalties or felony status does vary from state to state. However, the realities are even more complex.
In some states, the period runs from date of charge to date of charge--in others, from date of conviction to date of charge. Further, some states have alternate time periods during which a different number of prior convictions qualifies for enhanced penalties or felony treatment. For instance, in Ohio a drunk driver can be charged with a felony based on four offenses in six years or six offenses in twenty years, meaning that two separate calculations apply to every case.
If you've been charged with DUI and have one or more prior convications, make sure that you talk to a local DUI lawyer and fully understand how the repeat offender statutes apply in your case.