Question: Got a DUI in Dunwoody and I'm worried about paying my fine. I was drinking and went out to dinner and I had some more at dinner and when I was driving home I got stopped by a Dunwoody police officer and he gave me a DUI.

The cop said I was probably drinking and I said I hadn't been. But then I thought I didn't want to get in trouble for lying to a cop so I finally I admitted to him I had a couple of beers and a shot. I think I actually drank more than that but I didn't want to admit too much and have him think I'm an alcoholic or heavy drinker or something.

I took all his drunk tests and I stepped off the line a couple of times, so I think I may have failed. I know these sobriety tests are important from my other DUI, which was almost 10 years ago in Woodstock.

I know I was tipsy and maybe drunk and I really don't want a DUI, but if I do get one I'm worried that I won't be able to pay all the fines. Right now I have my money tied up in a business selling software and I'm not getting a steady paycheck at the moment.

I know DUI fines can be high, especially for a second charge, so I can use a payment plan and can't pay them all at once. I just don't have the cash right now to pay everything up front.

I have a bunch of money in bitcoin that I bought a couple of years ago so I do have money, but I don't want to cash in or sell any bitcoins. I also don't want to use my 401(k) from work, but if I have to I will.

So I need to know if I can pay my fines in Dunwoody over some time, spread them out. If I can, that'll be much easier for me financially with this DUI charge. So I need help figuring out fines for this Dunwoody DUI. 

C.K. in Dunwoody, GA

Answer:  As Dunwoody DUI lawyers we get many questions about how to pay fines. In Dunwoody, like most other courts, you can pay any court-imposed fines and fees over a span of time, usually over a number of months. It would be rare for a court to expect the full payment of fines at one time in a lump sum.

Interestingly, under Georgia DUI law, courts can impose a range of fines. One Georgia court might actually impose a fine that is twice as much as another court. And both fines are perfectly legal.

You mentioned that this is a second DUI charge for you. With each additional DUI charge, the law imposes a higher fine. So a second DUI will require a higher fine than a first DUI, and a third DUI will be an even greater fine.