I was given a citation for underage possession/consumption in the state of Georgia. The officer wrote on there that I only had 2 beers that night. I was just wondering if anyone knew what the usual punishments where for that charge and if I really truly need a lawyer because I am a college student and really do not have the money to be getting a lawyer unless absolutely necessary. Thank you for any help you would be able to give me!

Hello jenny:

Yes, it was only two beers. And, they probably aren't going to do much about it. However, it isn't the immediate problem you need to worry about. It's the longer term one. If you can achieve a disposition that doesn't leave any permanent marks on your record, that would be ideal. I think you need a lawyer to accomplish that.

excon

Georgia is getting a little tougher on underage drinking, especially in college towns, mostly due to the bad publicity.

My friend's son (who had a BAC of 0.02- or about the equivalent of a slug of Nyquil) has his driver's license suspended, 100 hours of community service and 9 months probation. And he has to be very, very careful to not have any alcohol related moving violations for 5 full years otherwise a formerly misdemeanor DUI will become a felony.