Fight Back Against DUI Charges and Suspensions for Driving Drunk - Central Florida DUI Defense (407) 841-5555
Driving drunk is the most damaging and one of the most expensive criminal charges you can face. We're not talking legal fees either. The stigma of being labeled with drunk drivers is crippling to careers and the cost in insurance and embarrassment is incalculable.
We have fought DUI accusations for over 10 years. We know what to look for, what to do, and what to attack. We fight everything from the reason for the stop, the field sobriety tests, the breath test, the observations. Drunk driving charges are complicated but that sometimes works in our favor. We will explain ALL your options including what you can expect without an attorney representing you. Call for a free consultation today.
DUI Punishment is Severe
You've been out late. It's a Friday night, now, early Saturday morning. You haven't had a drink for 3 hours because you knew you had to drive. Your very cautious. Maybe too cautious. All of a sudden blue and red lights begin flashing behind you. It is the police. Your heart jumps and thoughts begin to race through your mind. Your nervous. The Officer asks for your license and registration - you fumble through your wallet to get those as quickly as you can. He asks you how much have your drank - he doesn't ask you when you drank or what you drank, just IF you drank. You're honest and say "three beers about thr..." He cuts you off and you find yourself doing field sobriety exercises on the side of the road. The next morning as you are being released from jail you notice that he is using everything you said and did against you in a case charging you with driving drunk.
Does that scenario sound familiar? The DUI is played out every weekend on the streets of Central Florida. The police may report things that did not happen but in Orange County Florida the police don't have cameras in the vehicles anymore making it hard to refute what they say. Besides - you were drunk, don't you remember? - at least that is how the State will portray it. The DUI offense (same as DWI or OWI) also known as driving drunk or drunk driving is one of the more complicated cases to defend. However, you have no choice - it must be defended because the implications are enormous. Drunk driving charges impact employment, the home, education, social networks, and insurance. The financial effects of a DUI conviction are long term.
Public sentiment and politics has made the punishment for a drunk driving charge huge compared to other misdemeanors. An adjudication of guilt is required for all drunk driving charges if you are found guilty. That means it will be a permanent mark on your record and your life.
ADMINISTRATIVE
SUSPENSIONS: Additionally, unless you act within 10 days of your arrest for
DUI, your license will be suspended for a minimum of 6 months with a
minimum hardship period (no drivers license at all - no driving) of
30 days. These are minimums. If you have refused the breath
test the suspension and hardship periods are longer unless it is
successfully challenged.
Minimum fines, minimum community service, impoundment of vehicle, minimum jail sentences all vary with the number of prior DUIs the accused has, whether injury or property damage occurred, and what the breath test results were.
It is important to act quickly after you have been arrested for driving drunk. Our office will challenge your suspension, challenge the evidence, and fight for your case every step of the way. Call us today - Time is of the essence in every DUI case.
What the State is going to say about you in a DUI Case
The prosecutor in your drunk driving case must prove that you drove or were in actual physical control of a vehicle. This usually means that the car was operable and you had the ability to drive it.
While driving or in actual physical control of the vehicle you were under the influence of alcoholic, a chemical substance, or a controlled substance to the extent that your normal faculties were impaired or you had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or a breath-alcohol level of 0.08 or more grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.
Sounds pretty straight forward? Not really, and not to this lawyer. Was the initial stop legal? What are normal faculties? How normal is it for a person to stand with their head back and one leg lifted off the ground counting for thirty seconds? There are many legitimate issues with DUI charge - we challenge all of them.
Drunk Driving Enhancements
If this is not your first DUI you need to call an attorney immediately. Drunk driving charges get progressively more harsh with the punishments. A third DUI can be enhanced to a felony giving authority to the court to incarcerate you up to five years in prison. Driving drunk is not taken lightly by the criminal justice system.
Free Consultations - Call Today (407) 841-5555
Our consultations are always free. We sit down and go through your case and answer any questions you have. Bring with you a copy of your police report and your citation if you have them.
We have represented clients in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Brevard and Volusia Counties. We travel to Orlando, Sanford, Kissimmee, Viera, Deland, Tavares and Bartow. In the years that we have been defending clients charged with DUI we are always amazed at the creative ways in which law enforcement crafts their reports. So don't despair by what the report states. We will review it during your office conference.
Remember, you have the right to due process, representation, and a trial. Don't feel that you have to accept their accusations without a fight. Call us today for a consultation - (407) 841-5555.