The cornerback with avoid jail time for the conviction.

Houston, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/04/2015 --In January of 2015, famous Bears' cornerback Tim Jennings was pulled over in the state of Georgia. At the time, Jennings was said to be traveling a whopping 99 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour speed zone. Upon being arrested, Jennings was charged with speeding, reckless driving, and driving under the influence, or DUI (known as a DWI – driving while impaired – in Texas).

Consequences for Mr. Jennings

On the first day of Bears' training practice camp this year, Jennings was nowhere to be seen. While this was presumably because the cornerback was dealing with legal proceedings, the Bears have made no mention as to whether or not Jennings will be joining the team.

However, Jennings will not face jail time; as of July 30, 2015, Jennings had struck a plea bargain with the prosecution. Because of the deal, he will avoid incarceration entirely. Instead, Tim Jennings has been ordered by the court to perform 40 hours of community service (which cannot be related to football), participate in a drunk driving program, pay a fine, and will also be subject to a 12-month long probation period.

Striking the Plea Deal

A plea deal is a deal that's conjured up between the prosecution and the defense. Essentially, the prosecution will offer something (such as reduced or no jail time) in exchange for a plea of guilty. While plea deals are not for everyone—particularly those who believe themselves to be truly innocent of any crime—they can reduce a sentence by months, or even years, of jail or prison time.

Jennings had told police at the time of arrest that he had stopped drinking 10 hours prior to operating the car recklessly; charges against Jennings for DUI were dropped. However, Jennings did have to plead guilty to the reckless driving charge in order to get the plea deal that he did.Jennings' attorney told reporters that there was also a total lack of evidence to proceed on a DUI conviction.

The Importance of a Strong Legal Team

Had Tim Jennings not had the legal backing that he did, it possible the plea bargain he was offered would not have been possible, and the DUI charges would have been dropped. Tim Jennings' case is perfectly illustrative of the importance role a defense attorney plays when facing DWI charges.

If convicted for a DWI, fines can be thousands of dollars; jail time can amount to years (especially if someone is harmed during an accident), and the conviction will go on a permanent record. To read more about DWI charges and penalties in Texas, click here: http://www.dwi-texas.com/texas-dwi-penalties/.