Seattle Criminal Attorney | The DUI Arrest
One of the most terrible feelings you can possibly experience is on that long drive home late at night after a few of drinks at the tavern. You feel okay, but get deep down that feeling good isn’t what really matters. And after that you observe them, flashing lights in your rear view mirror.
A drunk driving stop is one of the most fear-provoking experiences there are, if, for no other grounds, there are so many unknowns. Will the officer assume you are hammered? Will you lose your driver’s license? Will you have to go to lockup? Could you perhaps now have squandered thousands of dollars in Seattle criminal attorney legal fees and fines down the drain? All of these questions in all probability race through your head, and with justifiable explanation.
This commentary, on the Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney Blog, hopefully, will make you a bit less frightened. Though you shouldn’t drink and drive, if you discover yourself in that spot, at least in Washington State (Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue, Tacoma, Federal Way, Kent, etc.) this commentary is going to ensure you control the greatest chance of making it to your house out of harm’s way. But remember, this information is not legal instruction. Before making any decisions that could shape your legal rights or fate, please seek advice from a criminal attorney. Each circumstances is special, and you need a DUI defense attorney in Seattle to calculate your particular case to know exactly what to do.
There are a few fundamental things you must know about your normal criminal stop in Seattle. Firstly, the majority of the time you are not being pulled over on suspicion of DUI (according to the police officer). Even though it is 1:00 a.m. and he’s out pulling you over for failing to make use of a turn signal, a DUI is not the real cause he’s pulling you over (okay, so it maybe is, but it is extraneous here – if they’ve got a explanation to pull you over, they can). Assuming you weren’t swerving all over the place or doing something else to make the officer consider you were inebriated, getting the stop over as fast as feasible is the objective.
Getting it completed denotes three things: (1) act courteously; (2) say as little as doable; and (3) after it seems as though the preliminary encounter is concluded, ask if you may go so you can get to your house. When the cop pulls you over, he is looking for symbols that you are intoxicated. We all are aware of what those are: glassy, bloodshot eyes; slurred speech; the smell of beer. Try not to give out those clues to the officer if doable (don’t chat too much). The end is to stop the officer from establishing probable cause that you are DUI. Without that he is going to have a hard time detaining you.
Next, if he asks you to step out of the van, you can do so. However, if he asks if you’d mind taking a couple of field sobriety tests, here is where you must take a route distinct than that of a good number Seattle drivers. Politely refuse. You don’t even have to offer an explanation. In Washington State, you have the right to remain silent, to refrain from providing incriminating evidence hostile to yourself, including field sobriety tests. It prevents a lot of support from being obtained that can be utilized in opposition to you later on, and it is the appropriate thing to do. However, be ready, because it may get you brought to the station for a breath test (if they take you, however, you were going anyhow).
Now, here is the imperative part. The instant they say you are going to take a breath test, let the officers recognize you need to speak with a Seattle DUI lawyer. As soon as you do this, more than a few things ensue. First, the police cannot interview you any more. And subsequent, you get to chat to a criminal attorney in Seattle to figure out what you ought to do after that. And, no matter what time of day, an attorney is available (many Seattle criminal lawyers make themselves accessible for just such telephone calls). And any Seattle DUI defense attorney must be able to guide you to a person who will answer the telephone. And if you don’t know who to call, a public defender is ordinarily on call, so even at three in the morning you’ll have a person to talk to.
From there on, you must in reality do what your Seattle criminal defense lawyer says, as your particular situation, counting any previous offenses, your occupation, how much you’ve had to drink, and further things, can have an effect on what you desire to do moving onward.
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