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Question: What will happen if I am caught with alcohol (MIP) while I'm not driving and I have a clean record? How long will the MIP say on my permanent record?

Answer: The legal drinking age in Arizona is 21 years. However, a person is an adult at 18 years. A person over the age of 18 in possession will be charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced. A person under the age of 18 will be dealt with at the discretion of the arresting officer. No intoxicated person will be left to himself. His parents will be called, and if they are not available he or she will be taken to a juvenile facility.

There will be questions as to how you got the alcohol. If you bought it with a fake ID, this is another misdemeanor. If you solicited someone else to buy it, this is a misdemeanor and is more serious. You can lose your drivers' license or at the very least you may have to wait longer to get your license.

If you have applied for a guaranteed tuition scholarship for college in Arizona, you will lose this scholarship for the use of alcohol.

How long a misdemeanor stays on your record depends upon whether you are actually charged, or merely picked up and sent home. (This depends upon the arresting officer, and may depend upon whether you are actually very very drunk, or merely have a beer in your hand.) It depends upon whether you are a juvenile (under 18) at the time of your arrest, or are an adult. It depends upon whether your record stays clean following the arrest.

These are all the legal things. There are lots of extra legal things like how your family and friends feel when they know you've been cited with possession of alcohol, and whether you get anyone else in trouble at the same time you are cited.
Comments
11 thru 15 of 18 comments
On 12/27/03
jonathon from MI said:
naw if it was your first time u got caught then no u wont be placed on probation the most that could happen to u is that u whould get a fine for like 200$ and u whould have to maybe do community service
On 10/27/03
sade from MI said:
i went to the club for my first time, i have never been in trouble for anything, a guy asked me of i wanted a drink i said yes, im not an alchohol drinker so i figured it wasnt gonna be alchohlic and i gave him a few dollars to get it for me when he gave it to me it didnt look like pop so i just looked at it then some guy ( an undercover cop) took me by the arm and asked for id said i am a minor and he needed to see id. they said they'd sent me a ticket in the mail and i might have to apear at court. i tried telling them i didnt want an alcoholic drink but they said yea ive heard that efore, w
On 09/23/03
Patrick from AL said:
I got an MIP last saturday, and was wondering, is it possible to be place on probation for an MIP if it is your first time to be in trouble with the law. Also, the police department sent a fax to my school that told what had happened, and all 3 of us were 17. Is this legal?
On 07/22/03
kristen from MI said:
What are the consequences for getting a second MIP?
On 02/24/03
Andrea from KS said:
What is the statue of limitations for being charged with an MIP? And does is vary in differet circumstances?
11 thru 15 of 18 comments


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