A plea agreement is a deal offered by the prosecution to the defendant in a criminal case. In these agreements, the defendant may agree to plead guilty or no contest in exchange for reduced charges or lighter sentencing. In Michigan, plea agreements should be carefully considered by the defendant.
A man from Michigan has been offered a plea agreement on his drunk driving charges. He was arrested in June of this year following a car accident that occurred in February. There were four charges brought against him, including transporting a loaded firearm, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license, and felony firearm. If the man pleads guilty or no contest to the charges of operating while intoxicated and transporting a loaded firearm, the other two charges will be dropped.
Local authorities believe that the man was ejected from the Chevrolet Trailblazer has was driving after he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail. According to witnesses, he was driving about 80 mph. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for injuries and put into a medically-induced coma. Law enforcement officials found open containers of alcohol and two shotguns inside the vehicle. One of the guns was loaded.
If you face OWI charges, you may be offered a plea agreement by the prosecution. Before you accept any deal, you may want to consult with someone who is familiar with the law. A criminal defense attorney may be of assistance in this area.
Source: MLive, “Traverse City man involved in car crash charges with drunken driving, firearms offenses in Bay County,” Cole Waterman, July 2, 2013