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Felony & Aggravated DUI Defense · Dearborn

Felony and Aggravated DUI Defense in Dearborn, MI

When the charge carries prison time and a permanent record, you want a Dearborn team that answers the phone and gets to work the same day.

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Attorney prepared to fight serious felony charge
Attorney on courthouse steps for felony case
Attorney researching felony law library records
What we install

When a Dearborn OWI becomes a felony

Most drunk driving charges in Michigan are misdemeanors. Some are not. A third operating while intoxicated charge in your record is a felony, and so is any case where someone was badly hurt or killed. The same is true when your breath or blood reading climbs to the level the state treats as aggravated. The moment a case crosses that line, the stakes change completely. You are no longer looking at fines and a short license hold. You are looking at prison time, years of probation, and a record that follows you into every job application and rental form for years to come.

We have walked Dearborn drivers through these exact charges in the Wayne County courts, and we know how fast the early days matter. Police reports get written. Blood gets sent to the state lab. The prosecutor starts building the file before you have even spoken to anyone. We get in front of that process while it is still moving. We read every report line by line, we pull the traffic stop video, and we look hard at how the breath machine was kept and calibrated. Small problems in that paperwork can change the whole shape of a felony case.

  • Same day callback when a felony or aggravated charge lands, because the first days decide how much room we have to work.
  • A full read of the police report, the stop video, and the breath or blood records before we set our strategy.
  • Hard questions about how the testing machine was kept, calibrated, and run by the officer that night.
  • A clear plan for your license and your driving while the case moves through Wayne County court.
  • Straight talk about your real options, with no false promises and no legal jargon you have to decode.
A felony DUI is not the end of your story. It is the start of a fight, and we know how to fight it in Dearborn.

Aggravated and felony cases reward early work and punish delay. The sooner we see the file, the more room we have to question the stop, the testing, and the way the evidence was handled. We push for reduced charges where the facts support it, we prepare for trial when the state overreaches, and we keep you informed at every step so nothing in the courtroom catches you off guard.

If you are facing a felony or aggravated DUI in Dearborn, the worst thing you can do is wait and hope it shrinks on its own. It will not. Call us today, tell us what happened, and let us start protecting your record and your freedom while there is still time to shape the case. We answer the phone, we explain things in plain words, and we get to work right away.

Materials

What a felony DUI case is actually built from

A felony or aggravated DUI is not one piece of proof. It is a stack of records, and every layer can be questioned. The state leans on the traffic stop, the field sobriety tests at the roadside, the breath reading, and in many cases a blood draw sent to the Michigan lab. When someone was hurt, it also leans on crash reconstruction and medical reports. We go through each layer on its own and ask whether it was gathered the right way, because one weak link can pull down the strength of the whole case.

We do not treat any of it as settled just because it sits in a police file. Breath machines drift out of tune. Blood vials get mislabeled or warm up in a trunk. Officers skip steps in the roadside tests and write them up as clean anyway. We have seen each of these problems turn up in real Dearborn cases, and we know where to look for them. The goal is simple. We test the state evidence harder than the state ever tested it.

  • The traffic stop: did the officer have a real reason to pull you over in the first place.
  • Field sobriety tests: roadside checks that are easy to fail even sober, and easy to score wrong.
  • Breath and blood: machines and lab work that only hold up when every step was done by the book.
  • Crash and injury records: reports that must actually tie the harm to your driving, not just to the scene.
Defendant facing courthouse before legal help
Family stress during felony charge period
What about the alternatives?

Ways a felony DUI charge can be handled

Not every felony DUI ends the same way. Here is an honest look at the paths a case can take, and where each one tends to lead for Dearborn drivers.

Fighting the evidence early

We attack the stop, the testing, and the paperwork while the case is fresh. When the proof is weak, this is the path that protects your record best.

Recommended

Negotiating a reduced charge

When the facts are tough, we push the prosecutor to drop a felony down to a lesser charge. It is not a clean win, but it can save your freedom and your future.

Acceptable

Sobriety court or a treatment plan

Some Wayne County courts offer structured programs that trade strict supervision for less jail. The right fit for some drivers, a heavy load for others.

Acceptable

Taking the case to trial

When the state overreaches, a trial puts the burden back where it belongs. We prepare for it fully, knowing the choice always stays yours.

Acceptable

Pleading guilty with no defense

Walking in and accepting the charge as written gives away every bit of ground you have. We almost never see a reason to start here.

Skip

Ignoring the case or missing court

Skipping a date on a felony brings a judge order for your arrest and hands the prosecutor an easy story. This only makes a hard case worse.

Skip
How it goes

From quote to walk-on, fast.

01

Your inquiry

Call or send the short form with what is going on at your place. A sentence or two is plenty for the first step.

02

We talk it through

We go over the situation on the phone, ask the questions that matter, and tell you what we would do next.

03

A clear plan

You get a plain-language rundown of the work, the order it happens in, and what to expect on the day.

04

The work gets done

Our crew shows up when we said, does the job, and walks you through the result before leaving.

Before you book

Straight answers before you call

Felony charges raise hard questions, and you deserve real answers before you decide anything. Here are the ones we hear most from Dearborn drivers.

Is a third DUI really a felony in Michigan?
Yes. A third operating while intoxicated charge is treated as a felony in Michigan, no matter how many years sat between them. That is why the early work on your case matters so much, and why we start the moment you call.
What makes a DUI aggravated instead of a regular charge?
A few things push a case past the normal level. A very high breath or blood reading, a child in the car, a crash that hurt someone, or a prior record can all turn an ordinary stop into a far more serious charge with prison time on the table.
Can I still keep my license while the case is open?
Often there are steps we can take to protect some driving while the case moves, depending on the exact charge and your history. We walk through your situation in plain terms and lay out what is realistic, never a promise we cannot keep.
How fast should I act after a felony arrest in Dearborn?
Right away. Evidence is fresh, video still exists, and the prosecutor has not locked in their story yet. The sooner we see the file, the more room we have to question it. Waiting only narrows your options.
Will I have to go to prison if I am convicted?
Not every felony DUI ends in prison, and the outcome depends heavily on the facts, your record, and how the case is fought. Our job is to attack the weak points and push for the lightest path the facts allow.
Do you handle cases in the Wayne County courts?
Yes. We work in the courts that hear Dearborn cases every week, and we know the judges, the prosecutors, and the local routines. That familiarity helps us read where a case is likely to go and plan around it.
Aftercare

After the case: protecting what comes next

A felony or aggravated DUI does not end the day the gavel falls. There is usually a road back, and we help you see it clearly. Probation has rules you must follow to the letter. Your license has its own path to recovery through the state. Down the line, some records can be cleared, and the steps you take now decide how soon that door opens. We make sure you leave court knowing exactly what to do next, not guessing at it.

  • Follow every probation rule closely, because one missed check can undo months of good progress.
  • Keep proof of any classes, testing, or treatment the court asks for, and bring it to every date.
  • Handle your license recovery through the state on time, so you are not stuck waiting longer than you must.
  • Stay clear of any new charge, since a fresh case while on probation hits far harder than it would alone.
  • Hold on to every document from your case in one folder, in case you seek to clear the record later.
  • Ask us about record sealing once you become eligible, so a single mistake does not shadow you forever.
Legal briefcase ready on courthouse bench
What changes the day we take your case
FAQ

Felony and aggravated DUI questions Dearborn drivers ask

Ready when you are

Let's make your next steps easier

Tell us what is going on at your Dearborn home and we will walk you through the options. One call or one short form is all it takes.

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