How to Deal with a Juvenile OWI in Wisconsin

 Posted on December 31, 2024 in OWI

Recently, a teen from Western Wisconsin was cited for OWI after crashing into a wooded area off US 18 outside of Bridgeport. The SUV the teen was driving traveled off the left shoulder of the four-lane highway, going across a snow-covered grassy area before crashing into a heavily wooded area. The teen suffered only minor injuries and was cited for OWI and Failure to Keep a Vehicle Under Control.

Every parent’s worst nightmare is receiving a call that their child is in trouble. Of course, the first priority is to ensure the child is physically unharmed. After that, the juvenile criminal charges facing your child can leave you unsure of what you need to do to protect his or her future. Having a Milwaukee, WI juvenile criminal charges attorney can help you make the right decisions to minimize the long-term damage from these criminal charges.   

How Serious is a Juvenile OWI?

Individuals in the state of Wisconsin are prohibited from consuming alcohol while under the age of 21, and the state tends to take a tough stance on these offenses. Wisconsin’s Absolute Sobriety law makes it a criminal offense for a person under the age of 21 to get behind the wheel of a vehicle with any level of alcohol in his or her system. The term "vehicle" includes any motorized vehicle, an all-terrain vehicle, a boat, and even a snowmobile.

An OWI charge in the state could result in two separate tickets. The first would be for OWI (Operating While Intoxicated), while the second could be for having a Prohibited Alcohol Concentration of more than 0.08 (which would land the juvenile in adult court). OWI penalties for a young person will depend on whether there are other offenses on his or her criminal record.

A first OWI conviction could result in a license suspension between 30 and 90 days, fines as high as $500, four driver’s license demerit points, and a mandatory alcohol assessment. A second OWI offense results in fines as large as $500, a one-year driver’s license suspension, four driver’s license demerit points, and a mandatory alcohol assessment.

A juvenile can also be sentenced to a supervised work program. Fines and suspensions are doubled if the juvenile driver has a passenger under the age of 16 in the vehicle at the time of the arrest. While a juvenile under 17 may be able to have an OWI conviction sealed, if the juvenile is over 18, this is not an option. An OWI conviction will remain on the individual’s driving record for five years.

This can cause difficulties when applying for college or employment, and auto insurance premiums could increase to the point where they are unaffordable. These collateral consequences can be just as damaging to a young person’s future as the initial criminal penalties. For this reason, it is extremely important that a skilled juvenile criminal offense attorney be involved from beginning to end. Cases involving those under the age of 17 are usually heard in juvenile court, which has an entire set of rules and nuances that are different from adult court.

Contact a Waukesha County, WI Juvenile Criminal Charges Lawyer

If your child is in trouble, you need an experienced Waukesha, WI juvenile criminal charges attorney who fully understands how devastating a conviction for OWI can be to your child’s future. When you choose a juvenile attorney from Bucher, Wolff & Sonderhouse, LLP, you will have a strong, aggressive advocate who will look at the charges from every angle to determine a solution with the least amount of long-term damage. Call 262-232-6699 to schedule your free consultation. We are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, for your convenience.