It’s 11pm and you are driving back from a party or get together with some friends. You had a few drinks at the party but nothing that made you feel like you couldn’t drive. As you are heading home you look in the rearview mirror and see the blue lights. After you have pulled over on the side of the highway the officer asks why you were going so fast? Of course! You were speeding and you are so upset but it’s just a ticket right?
That is how so many DUI cases begin. At this point based upon answers to such general questions as “Why are you speeding? Where are you going?”, etc. the officers have been trained to determine if you have had anything that could impair your ability to drive. If they feel like you have they will likely just ask you if you have had anything to drink. Many would just be honest and say “Sure, a couple of drinks several hours ago.” At this point the officer has you get out of the car to perform very difficult field sobriety tests on the side of the highway in the middle of the night with cars flying by. After the officer tells you that you did not pass the tests you will then be charged with a DUI and taken to the jail to do a blood test to see how much alcohol or drugs are in your system. At some point you would likely be released after making bond and be given a court date.
The bad dream continues as you go to court for several months waiting on the State to receive the alcohol or toxicology report back from the TBI. Finally, it comes back and you are given an offer to plead guilty to a DUI, serve time in jail, lose your license for 1 year, take drug and alcohol classes, complete a victim impact panel, be on probation for 1 year, and pay nearly $1,500 in fines and court costs. In addition, you are required to get special insurance to get a restricted license that costs more than what you were paying and to top it all off you must have a device in your car that you have to blow into for an entire year for the car to start. And this is just the mandatory minimums! The state could ask for so much more to happen.
This may seem surreal and that it could never happen to you but it happens every day. If you are charged with a DUI, drug charge, assault, theft or any other crime, call the attorneys at Santel | Garner so they can investigate your case and do everything possible to protect your rights. Having an attorney to represent you in a situation like this is vital and could make all the difference in your case.