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Can my DUI charges be dismissed?

On Behalf of | Nov 9, 2018 | Firm News |

Being pulled over and charged with a driving while intoxicated (DUI) offense is a serious, scary and life-altering event. DUI charges carry significant criminal and administrative penalties. You may face jail time, lose your driving privileges, be forced to pay costly fines and suffer damage to your personal and professional reputation and relationships.

If you are facing DUI charges, you may be confused and have a number of questions, including whether your charges could be reduced or dismissed. There are defense strategies an attorney can use to raise doubts about your arrest and challenge drunk driving charges. Depending on your situation, the charges against you could be reduced or dropped altogether.

An attorney may raise questions about and challenge issues related to your arrest including:

  • Was there probable cause for you to be pulled over? If your case goes to court, the arresting officer must cite why he or she pulled you over.
  • Were the proper procedures followed? Were your Miranda rights read? Was the Standardized Field Sobriety Test administered correctly? If you failed it, was there another reason for that such as physical impairment?
  • Was a Breathalyzer test administered correctly? Was the officer properly trained? Was the device calibrated correctly? Other factors, like illness or vomiting, could also have played a role.
  • Was your blood test properly administered or stored? Could a sample have been tampered with and can the arresting police officer testify about how the sample was collected, transported and stored in court?

 

If you are facing DUI charges, consulting with an attorney about your individual case will help you to explore your options and chart a course of action.