An often-paraphrased quote from the midcentury evangelic preacher John Bradford goes something like this: “But for the grace of God, go I” What does it mean? Well, in the context of a DUI, it could mean that if you’ve escaped one, you’re lucky, it could have been you.
If you haven’t escaped one, you’ve had a bad day. Doctors, lawyers, stay-at-home moms, retirees, college kids and all kinds of other hard-working folks from all walks of life have had this kind of a bad day. DUI enforcement in Charlotte County is tough. The penalties can be even tougher.
The police reports all have the same formula:
“Upon approaching the vehicle, a strong order of alcohol emanated from the driver’s body.” “The driver’s eyes were watery and bloodshot, speech was slurred and movements were slow, confused and unresponsive.” “Accordingly, to dispel my concerns that the driver was impaired, I requested that the driver step out of the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.”
What comes next may be an arrest for DUI and a trip to the Charlotte County jail. If this has happened to you, contact a skilled criminal defense attorney. A good criminal defense attorney will reduce your stress and worry by guiding you through the criminal legal system and explaining the process. In addition, he will develop strategies based on the facts of your case, and the law, to mitigate your exposure and resolve your case in your best interest.
In developing the strategies to litigate and/or negotiate your case, an experienced criminal defense attorney in Charlotte County will look at many things, including the legality of the initial stop, or if parked, if the driver was in actual physical control; how the investigation was conducted; dashcam video; was there a drug recognition expert involved; what is the officer’s training and experience; compliance with standards on the field sobriety exercises; procedures utilized in the breath test or urine test; how do things look on the video; etc., etc.
Objectives can be to get the case dropped if you’re wrongfully accused; reducing the charges from a .15 to a .08, or reducing the DUI to a reckless driving charge. In addition, a good criminal defense attorney can help to get you back on the road right away for work, school medical treatments or church if you qualify.
If you’ve had a bad day. If you have been arrested for a DUI in Charlotte County, contact the law offices of O’Halloran and Foley for a free initial consultation on your case. Sean O’Halloran and Robert Foley have over 40 years of combined criminal law experience.
