Baltimore DUI Charges & Driving Without a License

DUI charges in Baltimore can be devastating to your personal and professional life. The financial burden of going through the process can be incredibly difficult. Being charged for driving without a license in Baltimore can be equally destructive. A common occurrence is being charged with both of these at the same time. Many people do not understand the ramifications of receiving a DUI without a license in Baltimore, but an aggressive and dedicated Baltimore DUI attorney can help you to better comprehend the situation.

Impact of a DUI Without a License in Baltimore

Driving without a license is a separate and additional charge in a DUI. It does not affect the DUI in any way when someone was driving without a license. However, a person will also receive a citation for driving without a license, which is also a jailable traffic citation with its own criminal charges.

Aggravating Factors

It can be an aggravating factor in sentencing. A judge in Baltimore may find a person guilty of a DUI and driving without a license. In sentencing, they may decide to give the person an extended period of probation or higher fines based on that. But they have the option of sentencing the person independently for both charges. They may fine the person one fine for the DUI and an additional fine for driving without a license. They may give one period of incarceration for the DUI and then a separate period of incarceration for driving without a license. Those are all possibilities when an individual has both the DUI and another serious traffic offense.

Not Having a License vs. Having a Suspended License

Just like driving without a license, driving on a suspended license is a separate charge and is adjudicated simultaneously. A person can be found guilty of both DUI and driving while suspended.

Even if your license was originally suspended for a DUI, it is not going to affect a finding of guilt necessarily for driving while suspended. The state must prove all the same things they have to prove if a person’s license was suspended for another traffic violation. However, in sentencing, judges are usually significantly harsher on individuals whose license was suspended for a DUI than they would be on an individual whose license was suspended for another offense. That particularly holds true if there is a new DUI alleged along with driving while suspended.

Timeline for Hearing on a DUI Without a License

The cases are heard at the same time. The person gets a single court date for all of the citations they received on that day. If they are split up, usually either the prosecuting attorney or the Baltimore DUI lawyer will move to have them heard together.

Then all of the cases will be adjudicated simultaneously. The person has a single trial when the state introduces evidence to try to persuade the court that they are guilty of all the offenses that they are charged with: DUI, driving without a license, and any kind of traffic violations that relates to the DUI.