Defense Strategy: Extreme DUI
ALERT: Standard Patrol
Arrests in Mesa are currently under high scrutiny.
If you are reading this, you are facing the full weight of the Maricopa County legal system. An arrest for Extreme DUI by the Mesa PD is designed to shock and intimidate you.
The "30-Day" Jail Myth vs. Reality
If you Googled the penalty for Extreme DUI (BAC .15+), you saw "30 Days Jail." While technically true under ARS 28-1382, you rarely have to serve all 30 days behind bars if you have private counsel. In Mesa, we fight to secure the "Home Detention" option. This allows you to serve just 9 days in custody (often with work release) and the remaining 21 days at home with an ankle monitor. We know exactly how to package your mitigation to qualify you for this program.
Saving Your Job with Work Release
The biggest fear our clients have is losing their job during those 9 days. Mesa Municipal Court judges (like Judge Umpleby) are often willing to grant Work Release, allowing you to leave jail for 12 hours a day to go to work, then return to custody to sleep. We file the motion for Work Release immediately so your employer never has to know you were gone.
The ".195" Danger Zone
If your BAC was high (e.g., .190 - .199), prosecutors will try to push for "Super Extreme" penalties because you were "close enough." We reject this "rounding up" logic. We use the Margin of Error on the Intoxilyzer 8000 to prove your true BAC was likely lower, anchoring you firmly in the Extreme category to avoid the 45-day jail sentence associated with Super Extreme charges.
Challenging the Stop on the US 60
Mesa PD's traffic unit aggressively patrols the US 60. Did the officer stop you for "weaving" within your own lane? Arizona law allows for minor weaving. We analyze the dashcam video. If you stayed within the lane lines, the stop may have been illegal. If the stop falls, the entire case—and the 9 days of jail—goes away.
Click here to call us now to discuss your Home Detention eligibility.
Previous Winning Defense: Retrograde Extrapolation
Your BAC may have been rising after the stop, meaning you were legal while driving.
DEFENSE RADIUS: MESA MUNICIPAL COURT
CRITICAL: 15-Day Deadline
You have exactly 15 days from arrest to request an MVD hearing.