Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Police arrested a Jacksonville man this week on multiple DUI charges for a St. Johns County crash that seriously injured three teen-agers and left one more with minor injuries. Brian Reynolds Peters is facing a litany of charges, including three counts of DUI causing serious injury; DUI causing injury; two counts of DUI causing property damage and a traditional DUI, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. Peters is accused of running a stop light and crashing into a car with four teens inside, the newspaper reported, And even though it was one incident, charges can be made separately for each individual victim in accordance with Florida criminal statutes. For example, three of the teens were seriously injured and Peters is charged now with three counts of St. Johns County DUI causing serious injury – one for each teen. A fourth victim was not seriously injured and, for her injuries, Peters is charged with DUI causing serious injury.
He is being held at the Duval County Jail on a $36,500 bond because he was arrested in Jacksonville. He will now be booked into the St. Johns County Jail, because that is where the crime occurred and is where he will be facing charges.
Peters was not arrested for St. Johns County Driving Under the Influence immediately. He was also taken to the hospital after the crash and police were likely waiting for blood test results to come back before making DUI arrest in the case. Peter’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to the newspaper. A warrant for his arrest was issued July 10 and U.S. Marshalls arrested him at his home in Jacksonville a week later, according to the newspaper. He was also charged with St. Johns County possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia for items he had with him at the time of the crash.
If police have a reasonable suspicion that a driver was under the influence when he or she is in a crash that causes serious bodily injury, police do not need consent to take blood to determine the person’s blood-alcohol level. In a more typical Jacksonville DUI case, the suspect has more rights when it comes to dealing with the police. Typical Duval County DUI cases are also misdemeanors and first-time offenders rarely do any jail time – excluding the night of the arrest. Peters, though, is facing three Florida felonies on the DUI causing serious bodily injury charges. Each count has a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Though it is uncommon, a judge has the power to sentence Peters to 15 years, five years on each charge. Those are called consecutive sentences. In many cases, judges will use what are known as concurrent sentences, meaning the defendant serves the three sentences at the same time and, if given the maximum in Peters’ case, he would serve just five years in prison.
DUI penalties rise significantly when serious injuries are involved and it is important to have an experienced Jacksonville DUI attorney to examine your case and discuss your options. Our Jacksonville DUI attorney has represented hundreds of clients on DUI charges, including those that have been elevated to felonies.
If you or a loved one needs a Criminal Defense Attorney in St. Johns County or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a free consultation. Our St. Johns County DUI attorney is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.