The most serious level of misdemeanor DWI is Aggravated Level One, which I generally refer to as Level A1. A defendant convicted of driving while impaired is subject to sentencing at Level A1 if three or more grossly aggravating factors apply. G.S. 20-179(c). Typically, defendants sentenced at this level are repeat offenders, though it is possible to reach Level A1 if one drives while impaired with a person under 18 in the vehicle, with a license that is civilly revoked for an earlier DWI charge that did not result in conviction, and, in the process, causes serious injury to another. A defendant sentenced at Level A1 may be fined up to $10,000 and must be sentenced to a term of imprisonment that includes a minimum term of not less than 12 months and a maximum term of not more than 36 months. G.S. 20-179(f3). The term of imprisonment may be suspended only if a condition of special probation is imposed to require the defendant to serve a term of imprisonment of at least 120 days. Because Level A1 is a relatively new level of punishment—it applies to offenses committed on or after December 1, 2011—many litigants, judges, and defendants have questions about the legal requirements for such sentences and how the sentences are administered. Below are the three questions I hear most often. 1. May the judge credit against a Level A1 sentence the time a defendant spent in inpatient treatment? Yes. G.S. 20-179(k) allows a judge to credit against a term [...]
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