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Keith Williams charges of DUI .15 were dropped earlier today to a DUI .08 3rd offense along with a charge of careless driving. .
Looks like Keith Williams is charged with DUI .08 3rd offense, amended from DUI .15. #LNK #Huskers pic.twitter.com/awOCSTIIvm
— Nichole Manna (@LJSNicholeManna) August 15, 2016
Dropping the charge down is significant for Williams in that it drops from a felony to a misdemeanor
His original charge had this for penalties for third offense DUI with an Alcohol BAC .15 or higher:
Class IIIA Felony Third Offense - § 28-105 & 60-6,197 (6)
Maximum: 5 years in jail
15 years license revocation
$10,000 fine
Mandatory Minimum: 180 days in jail
15 years license revocation
If Probation: 60 days in jail 5 – 15 years license revocation
$1,000 fine The court may order the person to apply for an ignition interlock after 45 days.
Dropping it to Third Offense .08 DUI, drops the potential penalties to this:
Class W Misdemeanor Third Offense - § 28-106 & 60-6,197.03 (4)
Maximum: 1 year in jail
15 years license revocation
$1,000 fine
Mandatory Minimum: 90 days in jail
15 years license revocation
$1,000 fine
If Probation: 30 days in jail
2 – 15 years license revocation
$1,000 fine The court may order the person to apply for an ignition interlock after 45 days.
That is a significant drop in potential penalties.
Williams will have a $5,000 PR bond and cannot consume alcohol when he's released. #LNK #Huskers
— Nichole Manna (@LJSNicholeManna) August 15, 2016
Basically, don’t screw up royally again while you’re going through this. If he has a problem with alcohol, this might be harder than one thinks.
Here's the update from Williams' court appearance where he pleaded not guilty: https://t.co/3q6b7n46mf #LNK #Huskers pic.twitter.com/2DDZaPPqfQ
— Nichole Manna (@LJSNicholeManna) August 15, 2016
Williams plead “Not Guilty” to both. His next court date will be October 24th.
Keep in mind that this does not necessarily effect his employment status as a University of Nebraska coach. The athletic department or the university administration will determine what fate awaits Williams, and we won’t know what that is for a while yet.
I am not a lawyer. Speculation would be that Williams has a damned good lawyer who will be successful in pleading this down, dropping the DUI charge, and changing the careless driving charge to reckless, and Williams will end up with a MUCH MUCH lesser offense than where he originally started.
If that’s the case, the University may be harder on him than the court. Time will tell.