A first DWI in Missouri: what it can result in

Missouri grades a first DWI as a class B misdemeanor, and then restricts what the court may do with it: a first offender cannot be granted a suspended imposition of sentence unless placed on probation for at least two years. The state counts by status rather than by number — prior, persistent, aggravated, chronic and habitual offender are defined terms, and which one you are decides everything that follows.

Start from what the statute forces and what it leaves to the judge. The floor here is set by the class. Everything above that floor is argued, and the same conviction can end up served in custody, on work release or as a condition of probation depending on the county and the judge. What no one can promise you is a sentence below the statutory minimum — that is not a question of persuasion.

Class B misdemeanor: set by the class, and a fine of set by the class. The range is set by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 577.010(2)(1), (3), and the figures on this page come from the statute rather than from a summary of it.

Missouri offers the interlock as a trade: fit the device and you drive immediately on a 90-day restricted privilege, or skip it and sit out a 30-day hard suspension first. The catch is the exit — your installer must certify you finished violation-free before the device comes off, and without that certificate you serve another 30 days. The device requirement and the criminal penalty are separate tracks: one is handled by the court, the other by Missouri Department of Revenue, Driver License Bureau.