When the Stakes Become Your Freedom
By a third offense, Ohio's OVI penalties are severe: substantial mandatory jail time, large fines, multi-year license suspension, restricted plates, ignition interlock, and the real possibility of vehicle forfeiture. A fourth offense within ten years — or a sixth within twenty — crosses into felony territory, where prison becomes a genuine risk.
These are among the most serious charges the firm handles. They require immediate attention, a careful review of your prior record, and a defense strategy built for high stakes from day one.
When an OVI Becomes a Felony — and the Prison Time at Stake
An OVI can be charged as a felony based on the number of prior offenses within the look-back period, or because of a prior felony OVI on your record. Once you have a felony OVI, any future OVI is charged as a felony as well.
A felony OVI can carry a mandatory prison or local-incarceration term, fines reaching into the tens of thousands, a lengthy license suspension, vehicle forfeiture, and mandatory addiction treatment. The collateral consequences — to employment, housing, and civil rights — are just as serious as the sentence itself.
Felony OVI classifications and penalty ranges are fact-specific and were affected by recent legislation. The firm confirms exactly how your priors are counted and what you face before advising on strategy.
Aggressive Defense to Serious Repeat Charges
Even serious repeat and felony OVI cases rest on the same evidentiary foundation as any other — and that foundation can be challenged. The firm scrutinizes the validity of each prior conviction, the lawfulness of the current stop, and the reliability of the chemical testing.
Where priors can be excluded or evidence suppressed, a felony can sometimes be reduced to a misdemeanor, dramatically changing your exposure. Where a conviction is likely, experienced advocacy can still shape the sentence, the treatment options, and the path back to driving.