Sam Hunt’s drunk driving casTe that was originally scheduled for Jan. 17 has been delayed again. After being pushed to March 17, the court date has now been moved forward to May 19.
The singer and songwriter’s case stemmed from an incident that took place in Nashville on Nov. 21, 2019. Police were alerted about a motorist who was allegedly driving the wrong way, so they pulled Hunt’s car over and conducted a field sobriety test. The officers alleged that Hunt smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. A test allegedly showed that Hunt’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit at .173.
After being pulled over, Hunt was charged for misdemeanor drunk driving and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. The next day, Hunt took to Twitter to admit that he had driven himself home after drinking alcohol at a friend’s show. He also apologized in his tweet, saying that a similar incident would not happen again.
A person who has been taken into custody for drunk driving for the first time may only be handed a misdemeanor charge instead of a felony DUI. A misdemeanor charge will have a lighter sentence than a felony charge, and the sentence may not include any jail time. Even if an individual was initially charged with a felony DUI, a criminal defense attorney may be able to help the defendant to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecution that would lead to a lighter penalty.