How to Get Your MIP (Minor in Possession of Alcohol) Ticket Dismissed or Reduced To a Lesser Offense

An attorney can help get your MIP (Minor in Possession of Alcohol) ticket dismissed or reduced to a lesser offense, thus avoiding an MIP conviction on your criminal record and suspension of your driver’s license.

The outcome of your MIP case depends on:

• Your past criminal history
• Which court your case is being prosecuted in, and
• The details of your specific case

If you plead guilty to a Minor in Possession of Alcohol charge, you will have an MIP conviction on your criminal record forever, which may prevent you from getting a job or being accepted into college.

How Can an Attorney Help You Fight Your MIP Ticket?

You will need an attorney to represent you if you want to fight your MIP ticket.

Your attorney may be able to convince the Prosecutor to amend your MIP charge to “Littering” and only require you to pay a fine and court costs, with no court appearance required.

Other Missouri courts are more strict and will require you to serve probation, do community service, and possibly complete an alcohol education class.

What Does “Minor in Possession of Alcohol” Mean?

Missouri police officers issue tickets to minors for MIP when they believe a person under age 21 is guilty of misdemeanor “Minor in Possession” or “Possession by Consumption” by doing the following:

• purchasing or attempting to purchase intoxicating liquor,
• possessing any intoxicating liquor,
• appearing to be visibly intoxicated, or
• having a detectable blood alcohol content of more than two-hundredths of one percent or more

What’s the Penalty For an MIP in Missouri?

For a first-time MIP charge in Missouri, the maximum penalty is a $300 fine. For a 2nd MIP conviction, the maximum penalty is 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

In addition, your driver’s license can be suspended for 90 days if you are charged under the Missouri “Abuse & Lose” law.

MIP Convictions Don’t Automatically Get Expunged Once You Turn 21

Contrary to popular belief, MIP convictions are not automatically removed from your criminal record once you turn 21. A petition for expungement must be filed with the court, and the judge must approve it, before the record of your MIP can be removed.

Your best option is to hire an attorney to represent you for the MIP ticket, rather than pleading guilty to the MIP charge and then hiring an attorney later to expunge the record of your MIP.

How To Get an MIP Conviction Expunged

To get a first-time MIP conviction expunged from Missouri court records, hire an attorney to file a petition for expungment in court. The petition for expungement can not be filed until either 1 year has passed since the conviction date or you have turned age 21, whichever comes first.

Once a petition for expungement of your MIP has been filed in court, there will be a hearing in front of a judge. Your attorney will have to prove that there are no other alcohol-related convictions or law enforcement contacts on your criminal record since your original MIP conviction.