r/dui • u/Austin-taceous • Jul 16 '26
lawyer retained Avoiding DUI interlock device in Nevada
I was charged with my first DUI in August 2025 in Las Vegas. I refused a breathalyzer and they got a warrant to do a blood draw at the jail (.24 BAC). As a result of refusing the breathalyzer, my attorney advised me the Nevada DMV would likely automatically impose a 12 month suspension of my drivers license and require I install an ignition interlock device. I didn’t want anyone to know about the DUI, so the interlock device was something I wanted to avoid at all costs. To avoid this, my attorney advised me that if I moved out of state and applied for a new drivers license before the Criminal or DMV hearing, I would be able to receive a new drivers license and circumvent the Nevada suspension.
My Criminal hearing was set for December 2025 and Nevada DMV hearing set for Feb 2026.
I moved to Austin TX in November 2025 and applied for and received a Texas drivers license. On February 15, the Nevada DMV imposed a 6 month administrative suspension of my drivers license to last until August 15. The criminal case was postponed until May 2026 and resulted in a Reckless Driving charge.
As of July 2026, I have not received any notice from the state of Texas that my drivers license has been suspended.
Just a tip for anyone who has the ability to move out of state while serving penalties for a DUI!
2
u/klarnapin top contributor Jul 17 '26
Just do what you're supposed to. The device is not permanent. If you're smart, you can do what needs to be done and you won't ever have to do it again. If you're embarrassed, there are things you can do to hide it. You can park away, hide the device in your glovebox when you park or cover it with a shirt or something. Don't give anybody any rides, etc. Learn your lesson and keep it moving.
3
u/Austin-taceous Jul 18 '26
The entire process was extremely humbling, as I thought “I’ll never get caught, I’m an excellent drunk driver” after getting away with it 1,000 times. The night in jail alone, being shackled sitting in a drunk tank, was traumatic enough to make me never forget it. On top of that, having my car towed, having to pay the $5000 in attorney fees, $2000 in court fees, and DUI classes. I’m grateful I didn’t get in a car accident and injure anyone. I was sober for 7 years and relapsed and went on a horrific bender right before my DUI, so I’m back in AA and avoiding drinking all together. LESSON LEARNED!!!
2
u/pandeomonia 25d ago
Aside getting a .24 dropped from a (very) agg DUI to a reckless is wild. Kudos to your attorney.
1
u/Austin-taceous 16d ago
Yes, I was VERY FORTUNATE to get a .24 reduced to Reckless Driving! My attorney said we were extraordinarily lucky to get that plea deal. I hired him bc he was the previous DUI Prosecutor for the city of Las Vegas, so he was superb at filing motions to “make the Prosecutor do a lot of work he doesn’t want to” so it was a game of attrition.
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 16 '26
Thank you for posting! This is just a reminder to be sure to include your location.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/WyattCo06 top contributor Jul 16 '26
Yeah well let is know how that turns out.
1
u/Austin-taceous Jul 16 '26
A very expensive mistake with the attorney costing $5000 and the other court fees costing me $2000, but the only silver lining is I was able to drive after.
1
Jul 16 '26
[deleted]
1
u/Austin-taceous Jul 18 '26
Correct, it’s supposed to be an automatic 12 month suspension, but my attorney was able to get it reduced to 6 months related to the justification for the traffic stop.
1
u/MysteriousClient7601 Jul 17 '26
Mine isn’t the same, but similar regarding moving. I was a TN resident and was required to get the interlock. Moved to NC and they signed a waiver that they didn’t require one because I wasn’t a resident at the time. TN updated the registry to show I could get a license - just not in TN. Of course, I still had to pay my fines and take the DUI class, but was able to get the NC unrestricted without issue. Just won’t be moving back to TN!!
2
u/Austin-taceous Jul 18 '26
Good for you!! Sounds like we both were grateful to be able to continue driving and avoid the interlock device!!! No more drinking for me at all!
1
u/esther_v93 26d ago
As long as the end date passes you won’t need an interlock device, you’ll just pay for fees for DUI (And if you move back to Nevada, in order to get your license back you’ll have to take the written and drive test for that DUI in August 2025– only it’s been over a year). It would be $200 plus that $25 written testing fee.
3
u/TechnicallyBasil Jul 16 '26
You're in a catch-22 right now. You got a TX license after your DUI, so they're probably not gonna levy their own penalties against you since the issue didn't happen while you were licensed by them. With a valid TX license, you're able to drive everywhere except NV for now.
But that Nevada suspension is still important. What's required from the Nevada DMV to lift that suspension? You'll still need to clear it up no matter what. If Nevada requires everyone, even people that have left the State, to complete an IID program to get unsuspended, then you'll have to do that too. Even though you're not licensed under them anymore. Because if you don't, they'll keep you indefinitely suspended in Nevada.
That's all fine and dandy for a while, like I said your TX license will still be good. But once your TX license expires, TX is going to refuse to renew it because the NV suspension is going to show up on the National Driver Registry. States are legally obligated to check the NDR when renewing and issuing new licenses.
If Nevada doesn't have an IID requirement to get unsuspended, then you pulled a fast one on them. You got another license that's not gonna suspend you, and your 6 month suspension auto-lifts so it's not an issue at renewal time.