Minor In Possession of Alcohol - Welcome Weekend

Minor in Possession of Alcohol – Penalties and Court

The kids are headed to college, some for their first time, and Welcome Week will be waiting for them. If you are not familiar with Welcome Week, this is a week of meeting new people, deciding what fraternity or sorority to rush, tailgating football games, and underage drinking.

With underage drinking comes arrests for criminal offenses such as disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, urinating in public, and minor in possession of alcohol.

It may not seem like a big deal, but if you or your child has been charged with a criminal offense then there are some serious consequences to face. A criminal conviction can include the loss of many of your freedoms, including jail, major fines, the loss of your driver license and more.

A criminal conviction for Minor in Possession of alcohol is a permanent mark on a criminal record; it does not come off after a few years.

Minor In Possession in Michigan

When police are trying to charge someone for Minor in Possession of alcohol they are usually going to conduct their investigation in one of the following ways:

The most common way is police will look to see if they can find you in actual possession of alcohol, like in your pocket or hidden in your clothes, or they will look to see if you are in constructive possession of alcohol, like in your car or in your bedroom.

Police may simply try to obtain an admission by asking a person if they have been drinking and if they have the police may make an arrest for MIP.

Finally, Police may try to get you to submit to a device called a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT). If it registers a positive alcohol reading then they can charge you with MIP. We always recommend to our clients that they do not submit to a PBT. The penalty for not submitting to a PBT is a civil infraction, like a parking ticket.

Defenses to Minor In Possession of Alcohol

If a minor sought out medical help for legitimate medical treatment then they cannot be found guilty of Minor in Possession of alcohol.

If the alcohol was consumed in Canada where it is legal for a minor to drink they cannot be convicted.

Finally, if the minor was taking a class where drinking alcohol was part of the learning experience then they cannot be convicted of MIP.

Minor In Possession of Alcohol Lawyer

Aaron J. Boria is a criminal defense lawyer located in Downtown Plymouth near the 35th District Court. Boria has represented those accused of crimes such as minor in possession to serious felonies all over Michigan.

Boria has experience representing college students accused of crimes at Oakland University, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern, Western, and many others.

In the majority of Minor in Possession cases that criminal lawyer Boria has handled his client walks out of court without a criminal conviction.

Call today for a free consultation (734) 453-7806.