If you have been cited for Driving on a Suspended License (DOSL) in Arizona where the suspension was issued by a court for non-payment of a civil traffic fine, and you have reinstated your Arizona driver license (meaning, at a minimum, you paid a reinstatement fee to the Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT/MVD), Arizona law provides the court may dismiss the charge.
As a DOSL charge is a Class 1 criminal misdemeanor, the maximum penalty for the charge is up to six (6) months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500.00 plus surcharges, and up to three (3) years probation. If you have a prior conviction for DOSL, jail time is a real possibility.
When a person is stopped for driving on a suspended, revoked, canceled or refused or disqualified license or privilege to drive they can be arrested and booked into jail. In addition the police are authorized to impound the vehicle for 30 days. In some jurisdictions such as Scottsdale or Paradise Valley police have vehicle-mounted cameras and roadside cameras which can scan a license plate and if the owner has a suspended, revoked, canceled or refused or disqualified license the police can then stop the vehicle even if there is nothing else illegal about the way the vehicle is being operated.
If a person is found guilty of driving on a suspended, revoked, canceled or refused or disqualified license or privilege to drive then the Arizona MVD will suspend that license or privilege to drive for 12 months with only very limited restricted driving being permitted.
Click the peoriatimes.com article below for more on how Arrowhead Justice Court’s Justice of the Peace Craig Wismer utilizes the court’s statutory authority to help eligible DOSL drivers avoid a criminal conviction and get back on the right track:
http://www.peoriatimes.com/opinion/article_1a788330-9622-11e6-a160-97e6dabd9094.html
Gordon Thompson
