If your driver's license has been suspended for any reason, continuing to drive an automobile in Nevada is treated as a misdemeanor offense. Even though it does not carry the heavy penalties of a felony, there are a number of factors that make it imperative for you to get the immediate help of an experienced Las Vegas defense attorney if you are faced with this charge.
Possible Penalties
Don't allow yourself to be surprised by the punishments that await you if the prosecution succeeds in bringing a conviction of driving under a suspended license. A simple error in judgment or confusion resulting from incorrect notification by the DMV can lead to fines of up to $1,000 and even jail time, not to mention further license suspension and/or revocation trouble. The most extreme penalties occur if your license was suspended as partial punishment for a DUI. In Clark County, driving with a suspended license after a DUI conviction carries a mandatory 30 days in jail plus at least $500.00 in fines.
Fighting Charges
Many times, confusion connected with the Nevada DMV's license suspension notification process leads to an arrest. A Las Vegas lawyer who is willing to put in the attention and hard work that your case deserves will investigate the details of how the DMV processed your suspension and will use any irregularities to show that your suspension was not communicated to you adequately and on time. In other situations, a driver begins driving after the suspension period has ended. Even if you fail to petition the DMV for reinstatement of your license, you cannot be legally prosecuted under the charge of driving under a suspended license. As with any misdemeanor or felony charge, our lawyers make it a point to examine your case carefully and bring to light any activities on the part of police officers or prosecutors that violate your constitutional rights and will result in the charges being dropped. For example, if your attorney can prove that your arresting officer did not have a good reason for stopping you, the lack of probable cause is a reason for your case to be dismissed.
Although a suspended license may seem like a minor setback at first, the surprisingly harsh penalties for ignoring or misunderstanding it make it a situation that requires the skills of an attorney familiar with both the Clark County legal process and the Nevada DMV's suspension and reinstatement policies.
