Maine's OUI / DUI look-back will not be extended beyond 10 years

Read my latest post at the Portland Press Herald site: Legislative committee rejects 15 year OUI look-back. From the article:

Second, third and subsequent OUI offenses have serious mandatory minimum sentences in Maine. Current law “looks back” 10 years to count prior convictions within that period. While the sentencing judge can consider older offenses, they don’t change the mandatory minimum penalties. In its original form, LD 1729 would have increased the look-back period from 10 to 15 years. Amendments to the bill eliminated that increase....[Read more]

Meet Maine's newest crime: "Improper Contact"

This is where they make laws

On March 16, 2014 Governor LePage signed LD 1656 into law and created a new crime in Maine. It’s called “Improper Contact” and it’s an awkward fix for an unintended consequence of an unnecessary change to Maine’s bail code. I wrote before about LD 1656. You can read this post for more about how bail works in Maine.