Everyone makes mistakes; it's part of being human. But it's also a good opportunity to learn what you shouldn't do. Some people only need to make mistakes once to learn that they don't want to get caught again. With other people, it takes a few mistakes before they figure out how to behave.

Regardless, the Virginia criminal justice system is not always forgiving of people who make multiple mistakes. In some situations, a person who is facing his or her first drunk driving charges may be able to work with an experienced lawyer to have the charges minimized or dropped. However, if that person is arrested a second and third time for drunk driving, he or she may face increasingly stringent penalties.

Unfortunately, that is the situation one man is facing. The man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving three times in five days.

At the time of the third arrest, civilians called to report a drunk driver at about 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. However, when the deputies arrived at the man's car, the driver was not inside. He had walked down the street to a nearby bar.

It would be interesting to see what information the deputies recorded in their arrest. Although the man may have been intoxicated at that point, the deputies did not see him driving his car. Is a report of careless driving from a concerned citizen enough to convict him?

When police were talking to the man, they realized it was his third DUI arrest that week. He had been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving by local police on Tuesday and by highway patrol on Thursday.

Now, the man is being held in jail with bond set at $100,000. He was scheduled to be arraigned this morning. Because the penalties for drunk driving can become more severe with each DUI arrest, the man may be well-advised to find an experienced criminal defense lawyer to guide him through the legal process.

Source: 10 News.com, "Imperial Beach Man Has 3rd DUI Arrest In 5 Days," City News Service, Jan. 22, 2012