DWI scorecard

The Journal reviewed 25 DWI cases filed in 2020 prior to the pandemic. All of them initially were charged as DWI first offense.

Eleven cases ended in guilty pleas to the main DWI charge with other charges like careless driving dropped.

Seven cases resulted in dismissals. Four were dismissed without prejudice, which means they can be refiled.

One case was dismissed so it could be transferred to District Court and charged as a felony.

Four cases went to trial before a Metropolitan Court judge: two ended in conviction and two in acquittal. The remaining cases were still pending. The results of the cases reviewed by the Journal didn’t appear to be out of line with reports in previous years from Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Administrative Office of the Courts. Over the past few years, MADD tracking of DWI cases showed conviction rates ranged from 54% to 58%, either through trials or plea bargains.