Can I Get My DUI Expunged?
If you are currently facing charges for driving while ability impaired (DWAI) or driving under the influence (DUI) in Colorado, especially if this is a first offense, you may be thinking that the charges are not so serious because you are assuming the sentence will be minor or that you can have any conviction expunged later on. However, it is essential for you to know that even a first-offense conviction can have serious consequences (including the possibility of jail time in addition to fines and collateral consequences), and, moreover, adult criminal conviction records are never eligible for expungement.
Rather than expungement, certain conviction records can be sealed, but DWAI and DUI conviction records are never eligible for sealing. Our Denver DUI defense attorney can discuss how we can assist you with avoiding a conviction and having your DWAI or DUI arrest record sealed, and the record-sealing limitations for convictions.
Sealing Arrest Records When There Was No Conviction
For anyone who is currently facing DWAI or DUI charges in the Denver area, if you begin working with one of our DUI defense attorneys and avoid a conviction, it may be possible to have your DWAI or DUI arrest and charge record sealed. This record cannot be expunged — meaning that it cannot be destroyed entirely — but you may be able to have it sealed so that it is not accessible to public inquiries.
Under Colorado law, if you are acquitted of any DWAI or DUI charges, or if we are ultimately able to have the charges against you dismissed based on new evidence or an otherwise strong defense, you will likely be eligible to have your DWAI or DUI charge record sealed. Under Colorado law, if a case is completely dismissed or a defendant is acquitted of the charges against them, the court will automatically seal the record of criminal charges — you will not have to worry about future employers or other parties learning about the DWAI or DUI charges you faced.
DWAI and DUI Conviction Records Cannot Be Sealed
Once you are convicted of a DWAI or DUI, the conviction record cannot be sealed.
Any convictions involving driving under the influence or for traffic offenses are ineligible for sealing under Colorado law.
Contact a Denver DUI Defense Lawyer for Assistance with Your DWAI/DUI Defense and Criminal Record in Colorado
If you are currently facing charges for a DWAI or DUI in the Denver area, it is crucial to know that you cannot have your record sealed if you are convicted of a DWAI or DUI. As such, it is essential to begin working with our experienced Denver DWAI and DUI defense lawyers at DeChant Law as soon as possible so that you have the best chance of avoiding a conviction. As we discussed above, you can have an arrest record sealed, but you cannot have a DWAI or DUI conviction record sealed. To find out more about your defense options, as well as getting an arrest record for a DWAI or DUI sealed, do not hesitate to reach out to our firm to learn more about the services we provide to clients in the Denver area. Contact us today to begin working on your defense or arrest record sealing.
Source:
content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/r24-820_update_sealing_and_expunging_criminal_records_memorandum-accessible_1.pdf
