Legal TIps

How a DUI Conviction Can Impact Your Life

Getting a DUI, known as operating while intoxicated (OWI) under Indiana law, can have many serious consequences. As such, it’s essential to do everything you can to fight the charges you are facing, says Robert H. Bellinger, principal attorney at Bellinger Law Office, 116 E. Berry St., Fort Wayne.

“While you may know that you can face serious criminal penalties for a drunk driving conviction, you may not realize that a DUI conviction can also impact your life in numerous other ways,” says Bellinger. “First, a DUI can impact your life by requiring you to pay a monetary fine and, in many cases, to serve a jail sentence.”

A first offense can result in a misdemeanor conviction and up to 60 days in jail, or up to one year in jail if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15% or higher, he says. Fines can range from up to $500 for a first offense with a BAC of .14% or less, or up to $5,000 with a BAC of .15% or higher. Subsequent offenses can result in jail time and additional fines.

For a first offense, your driver’s license will usually be suspended for 180 days (or six months), and subsequent offenses will result in a driver’s license suspension of at least one year.

“When you’re convicted of drunk driving in Indiana, your auto insurance costs can go up, and you’ll need to pay more in order to drive lawfully with valid auto insurance,” Bellinger adds.

You can also be required to drive with an ignition interlock device, even after a first offense conviction. Ignition interlock devices can be required for up to 60 days in some DUI cases, but a DUI involving a BAC of .15% or higher can result in an ignition interlock device being required for up to one year.

“With an ignition interlock device, you will need to blow into the device in order to start your car,” explains Bellinger.

Finally, many jobs require a person to have a valid driver’s license and to have a record free from drunk driving convictions, especially jobs that require driving. Accordingly, if you are in a profession that requires you to drive for your job, you could end up losing your livelihood as a result of a DUI conviction.

If you’re facing DUI charges in Indiana, it’s critical to seek advice from an experienced Indiana defense attorney who can help you to fight the charges and to avoid a conviction, says Bellinger.

Although you might assume that you can simply pay the fine and accept the other criminal penalties of a DUI or DWI in Indiana, it’s important to remember that there are other consequences of a drunk driving conviction beyond criminal penalties alone that can continue to have an impact on your life long after you’ve served your sentence.

Learn more about The Bellinger Law Office by calling (260) 428-2214. ❚

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Your Home & Garden

Choose the Right Flooring for Your Home

By Janine Pumilia

Whether you’re flooring a high-end home or a modest rental unit, there have never been better products on the market at all price points, says Krista Jones, co-owner of Select Flooring with her husband, Mike Jones.

“The technology now used to manufacture every kind of flooring has come such a long way,” says Jones. “Flooring is more attractive and easier to maintain than it used to be. And the variety of textures, styles and colors is just amazing.”

Hard surface flooring has trended upward for many years and vinyl luxury plank (VLP) is the most in demand.

“It’s very durable, easy to maintain, water-resistant, petfriendly and works with every kind of design,” says Jones. “Vinyl is also warmer and a little softer underfoot – easier on your body if you’re standing on your feet a long time while cooking etc. We’re seeing the owners of beautiful, high-end homes install vinyl plank throughout the whole home, everywhere except in the shower. Then they change out area rugs every four or five years and give rooms a whole new look.”

A sister product to LVP is LVT, luxury vinyl tile, which imitates the look of solid stone flooring. Anyone who’s ever installed or removed a grouted tile or stone floor understands the benefit of getting a stone look without the labor-intensive mess.

Using vinyl flooring throughout a home especially makes sense with today’s open-concept floor plans, where one room seamlessly flows into the next, notes Jones.

At its showroom in Kendallville, Ind., Select Flooring carries a wide variety of area rugs to top off hard-surface flooring. It also employs a binding specialist who can size, cut, back and bind any kind of carpeting for your home.

“This is a nice alternative to area rugs,” Jones explains. “New carpeting is beautiful and stain-proof and it can be more affordable to cut carpeting to the size you need instead of buying an area rug.”

Wall-to-wall carpeting is still favored by many people, especially in bedrooms.

“It’s nice to wake up and step onto soft, warm carpeting on cold mornings,” says Jones.

Real wood floors, both solid and engineered, also are in high demand. Each type offers benefits.

“Engineered wood looks exactly like solid hardwood because there’s a veneer of wood on the surface,” says Jones. “But underneath are criss-crossed layers of a highly compressed core that enables fibers to expand evenly in all directions with changes of humidity. Especially in a climate like Indiana, where we can experience all four seasons within one week, engineered wood is very practical.”

Hardwood is more inclined to develop cupping or gaps between boards with changes in humidity, but some people prefer it because it can be sanded down and refinished more times than engineered wood. The price points of each are comparable.

As with other flooring types, the wide variety of wood products is really exciting, says Jones. “It’s not just the oak hardwood floor anymore. There are all sorts of wood species and stains to choose from.”

Mike Jones has nearly 40 years of experience in the home product industry and he and Krista opened Select Flooring 17 years ago. Krista says this is a wonderful era for designers like herself to be involved with home renovations.

“What’s really exciting to me is that, in the past five to seven years, the home has become more of a fashion statement. People are doing more fun, upbeat things and aren’t afraid to use bold colors or to make their rooms a reflection of who they are. This is easier than ever before to do because of the enormous selection of high-quality products now available.”

Along with flooring, Select Flooring carries cabinetry and hardware, countertops, tile, window treatments, accent furniture and lighting. It also has a reputation for designing custom bathroom showers. The store employs its own designers and installers for all products it sells.

“We have our own installers and they make all the difference,” Jones says. “The work they do is impeccable and I’m so proud that we have them on our team.”

A freshly updated home is not exclusively the domain of the well-heeled.

“With everything we carry, we have a variety of price points. For example, sheet vinyl flooring is at a low price point but is really attractive compared to how it once looked and the same holds true with laminate countertops. Good design is about knowing what you like, not just how much you spend,” she says.

As the parents of six children, the Joneses understand that most families have a limited budget for home projects.

“We know the value of a dollar and the work that goes into earning it,” says Jones. “We want our customers to get the most for their money. We have a great team of people working here and once we work with a customer, it’s like they become part of our extended family.”

Learn more by calling (260) 347-5565 or stop in at the showroom, 964 Harlash St., Kendallville, Ind. ❚

The beauty and durability of luxury vinyl plank flooring makes it popular.