Seattle Seahawk Owen Schmitt pleaded not guilty to DUI last week. Schmitt was cited for DUI on June 20, 2009. His blood alcohol content is alleged to register .151 and .161, twice the "legal limit" in Washington. Schmitt is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in Black Diamond Municipal Court within the next month.
If convicted as charged, Schmitt would face a mandatory 2 days in jail or more if he has prior DUI convictions. Beyond the mandatory minimum jail time, a DUI conviction carries a mandatory chemical dependency evaluation along with follow up treatment, as well as attendance at a victim's impact panel in which speakers discuss how their lives were impacted by a drunk driver.
