The DWI Book
Charged with DWI in North Carolina?: A Practical Guide to the Stop, the Science, the DMV, and the Defense is a plain-English ebook by North Carolina defense attorneys Christopher Adkins and Chris Purkey. It explains how one traffic stop can set off several proceedings at once, the license revocation, a possible DMV refusal case, the chemical-test evidence and the criminal case, and how those pieces fit together.
Key takeaways
- Written by two North Carolina DWI defense lawyers, one of them a former CMPD officer who made several hundred DWI arrests.
- Built around four subjects named in the subtitle: the stop, the science, the DMV and the defense.
- For drivers facing a first DWI, their families, and anyone who wants to understand the process before talking to a lawyer.
- Available as an ebook from Barnes & Noble; Barnes & Noble also lists a paperback.
Get the ebook at Barnes & Noble ↗
The Charged with DWI in North Carolina book exists because the first days after an arrest are confusing, and most of what people find online is either too general or written for another state. North Carolina calls the offense DWI, has its own breath-test instrument, its own two-track license system and its own sentencing levels. This page explains what the book covers, who it is for, why we wrote it, and where on this site you can go deeper on each subject. It also links straight to the ebook on Barnes & Noble.
What is the Charged with DWI in North Carolina book?
It is a practical guide for people facing a North Carolina DWI, written by two defense attorneys who practice in North Carolina’s district and superior courts. Its central point is that a DWI charge is much more than a court date: one stop can start an immediate license revocation, a possible DMV refusal proceeding, disputes over chemical testing, insurance consequences and a criminal case built on roadside evidence.
That framing is the book’s value. Most people assume they will simply “go to court,” and they miss deadlines that run before the first court date: the 10-day window to challenge the 30-day civil revocation, the written hearing request that must reach DMV before a refusal revocation takes effect (the 30th day after the order is mailed), and the substance abuse assessment that has to be done before a limited driving privilege is possible. The book connects those clocks so a reader can see what is happening and why. It is written for readers, not lawyers.
Any person who drives a vehicle on a highway or public vehicular area in North Carolina thereby gives consent to a chemical analysis if charged with an implied-consent offense. Before testing, the person must be told the rights and consequences listed in the statute, including that refusal brings an immediate revocation and a one-year DMV revocation.
Read the statute on ncleg.gov ↗Implied consent is a good example of why the book spends so much time on the overlap between the criminal case and the DMV. The same refusal can be evidence in court and the basis of a separate administrative revocation, decided by different people under different rules. Our article on what counts as a willful refusal shows how much depends on the details.
Who the book is for
The book is written for people who have just been charged with DWI in North Carolina, their spouses and parents, and anyone who wants to understand the system before a consultation. It assumes no legal background.
- First-time defendants who need to know what the paperwork in their hand means and which deadlines are already running.
- Families trying to help someone through a revocation, an assessment and a court date at the same time.
- Commercial drivers and young drivers, whose license consequences are harsher; see our guides for CDL holders and drivers under 21.
- Out-of-state visitors arrested in North Carolina, including the many travelers on I-77 and I-85 around Charlotte and Lake Norman.
- Anyone preparing for a lawyer meeting who wants to ask better questions; pair it with our consultation prep guide.
It is not a do-it-yourself defense manual, and it cannot predict outcomes. Every case turns on its own evidence, and general information is a starting point, not a substitute for a lawyer who has seen your file.
Why a former CMPD officer co-wrote a DWI defense book
Chris Adkins served as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer from 2007 to 2013 and personally arrested several hundred people for DWI before becoming a lawyer. Since then, he and Chris Purkey have defended hundreds of DWI clients and tried DWI cases across North Carolina. The book draws on both sides of that experience.
An officer learns how a DWI investigation is supposed to unfold: the cues that justify a stop, the standardized field sobriety tests as NHTSA teaches them, the observation period before a breath test, the rights form and the paperwork that follows. A defense lawyer learns where that process breaks down in real life and which mistakes matter in court. Putting those perspectives in one place lets the book explain not only what the law says, but what actually happens at the roadside and in the courtroom. Chris Adkins is also a former U.S. Army and North Carolina Army National Guard officer.
The four subjects: the stop, the science, the DMV and the defense
The subtitle names the four subjects the book covers, and they track the life of a real case. Below is what each subject involves under North Carolina law, with links to the deeper articles on this site.
From blue lights to arrest. Reasonable suspicion for the stop, checkpoints, the officer’s observations, field sobriety tests, roadside screening devices and the probable-cause decision.
Go deeper: SFSTs · HGN · portable breath tests · State v. Barnard
Breath, blood and drugs. How the Intox EC/IR II measures alcohol, why the observation period and two samples matter, blood draws and warrants, and impairment from prescriptions or THC.
Go deeper: Intox EC/IR II · blood evidence · marijuana DWI · prescription DWI
Your license on two tracks. The 30-day civil revocation, refusal revocations and hearings, the limited driving privilege, conviction revocations, ignition interlock and restoration.
Go deeper: DMV guide · 30-day revocation · limited privilege · interlock
From discovery to verdict. Reviewing the evidence, pretrial motions, the plea-or-trial decision, sentencing levels and appeal to superior court.
Go deeper: evidence review · plea or trial · sentencing levels · factors
The stop
Every DWI case starts with a decision to stop or approach a car, and North Carolina’s appellate courts have spent decades defining when that decision is lawful. The stop subject covers the roadside evidence the State relies on: the driving, the officer’s observations, and the standardized field sobriety tests. The courts’ answers are not always intuitive, which is why it helps to see real examples.
The science
North Carolina convicts many people on a number: an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more on the Intox EC/IR II, or a blood result. The science subject explains what those numbers measure and the procedures that make them admissible, along with drug-impairment cases where there is no per se number at all. Understanding the science is what lets a reader see why a 15-minute observation period, two agreeing samples and a valid operator permit matter so much.
The DMV
The license side of a DWI moves faster than the criminal case and runs on its own rules. A driver can lose a license the night of the arrest, win the criminal case months later, and still face a separate refusal revocation. The DMV subject untangles that: the civil revocation, refusal hearings, the limited privilege, conviction revocations, interlock and restoration, including the DWI restoration fee of about $167 (G.S. 20-7(i1) sets $167.25).
The defense
The defense subject is about how a case is actually evaluated and resolved: what evidence to request, which motions are available under North Carolina’s implied-consent procedures, how a case can end in dismissal, plea or trial, and how sentencing works under G.S. 20-179 if there is a conviction. Each path carries its own risks, and the right one depends on the evidence.
Numbers like these are why the book treats sentencing as only one part of the picture. Most convictions end in probation, yet the license, insurance and interlock consequences can last for years. The full cost is laid out in the true cost of a DWI in North Carolina.
Read the full guide: get the ebook at Barnes & Noble ↗
Three court decisions every reader should know
The book explains the law in plain English, but the law itself comes from statutes and court decisions. These three illustrate the stop, the science and the testimony that ties them together.
Constant and continual weaving within a lane for about three-quarters of a mile late on a Friday night gave a trooper reasonable suspicion to stop, even though the car never left its lane. The totality of the circumstances controls.
Read the opinion ↗A warrantless breath test is allowed incident to a lawful DWI arrest, but a warrantless blood test is not. Blood requires a warrant, valid consent or a true exigency.
Read the opinion ↗An officer may testify about HGN results under Rule 702(a1) without an explicit on-the-record expert ruling, so long as the trial court has implicitly recognized the officer’s qualifications.
Read the opinion ↗For more decisions explained in plain English, see our case notes on State v. Godwin, State v. Parisi and State v. Romano.
How to use the book with this website
Read the book for the big picture and use this site for depth and updates. Laws, fees and DMV procedures change, and our articles are reviewed and dated so you can check the current details.
| If your question is about… | Book subject | Go deeper on this site |
|---|---|---|
| Why you were pulled over | The stop | State v. Barnard, checkpoint case study |
| Your breath or blood result | The science | breath-testing records, chain of custody |
| Driving to work next week | The DMV | limited driving privilege |
| A refusal notice in the mail | The DMV | DMV hearings and appeals |
| Whether to plead or fight | The defense | plea or trial |
| What a conviction means | The defense | sentencing levels, insurance points |
Quick check: how well do you know North Carolina DWI?
These are the kinds of questions the book answers. See how many you get right.
Can North Carolina police require a breath test after a DWI arrest without a warrant?
- No, a warrant is always required
- Yes, a breath test incident to a lawful arrest is allowed
- Only if you consent in writing
Under Birchfield v. North Dakota, a breath test incident to arrest needs no warrant; a blood test generally does. Refusing a breath test still carries implied-consent consequences.
How many days do you have to challenge the 30-day civil revocation under G.S. 20-16.5?
- 30 days
- Until your first court date
- 10 days
The written request must be made within 10 days of the revocation order.
Is a lawful prescription a defense to DWI in North Carolina?
- No
- Yes, always
- Only for over-the-counter medication
G.S. 20-138.1 says being legally entitled to use a drug is not a defense. See our prescription DWI article.
Where is a misdemeanor DWI tried first in North Carolina?
- Superior Court with a jury
- District Court before a judge
- At a DMV hearing
District Court tries misdemeanor DWI without a jury; an appeal gets a new trial in Superior Court.
We wrote the book we wished every client had read before their first meeting with us.Adkins & Purkey
Where to get the book
Charged with DWI in North Carolina? is available as an ebook from Barnes & Noble, and Barnes & Noble also lists a paperback edition. Barnes & Noble ebooks are read on a Nook device or in the free Nook reading app, so you can start reading the same day you are released.
The book
Charged with DWI in North Carolina?
A Practical Guide to the Stop, the Science, the DMV, and the Defense, by Christopher Adkins and Chris Purkey. Plain English, North Carolina law, written by lawyers who have seen DWI cases from both sides of the patrol car.
Looking for the firm’s other writing? Our publications page collects it, and the DWI guide and DWI tools are free on this site.
Questions about the book
Who wrote Charged with DWI in North Carolina?
North Carolina defense attorneys Christopher (Chris) Adkins and Chris Purkey of Adkins & Purkey, PLLC. Chris Adkins is a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who made several hundred DWI arrests before becoming a lawyer.
What does the book cover?
The four subjects in its subtitle: the stop, the science, the DMV and the defense. It explains how a single arrest can trigger a license revocation, a possible DMV refusal case, chemical-test disputes, insurance consequences and a criminal case, and how those fit together.
Where can I buy the book?
The ebook is available from Barnes & Noble, which also lists a paperback edition. Use the Barnes & Noble buttons on this page.
Is the book legal advice?
No. It is general information about North Carolina DWI law and procedure. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and cannot account for the facts of a specific case.
Is it only for first offenses?
It is written with first-time defendants and their families in mind, but the explanations of the stop, testing, DMV and defense apply to most North Carolina DWI cases. Repeat offenses carry additional rules covered in our second-offense and habitual DWI articles.
Adkins & Purkey, PLLC
Talk to a North Carolina DWI lawyer
The book explains the system; a consultation applies it to your paperwork, your court date and your evidence. Offices in Huntersville (Lake Norman) and Locust (Stanly County), serving Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Iredell, Cabarrus, Stanly and courts across North Carolina.
General North Carolina legal information as of November 2026, not legal advice for any specific case. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney advertising.