Wisconsin OWI Court Dates Explained

Question: Can you explain the different court dates associated with an OWI charge in Wisconsin?

Answer: There are different types of OWIs in Wisconsin. For example, a first offense is a civil forfeiture violation, and that usually consists of an initial appearance, perhaps a pre-trial conference and then potentially a trial. If motions are filed, the motion hearing will be heard in the middle between the pre-trial conference and the trial. In a criminal case, oftentimes, there’s an initial appearance, something called the final pre-trial where the prosecution and defense attorneys meet; motion hearings in between that and eventually a potential trial.