DUI Attorney Near Me Park Hills, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Park Hills, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Park Hills, MO is a serious matter. Regardless of the details of your situation, when you are criminally charged for driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, a you need the best legal representation available to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who knows their way around DUI cases in Park Hills and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, a sharp Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, fight the conviction in a trial or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to navigate the law and all legal proceedings for your Park Hills, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after you have been accused of driving under the influence, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Park Hills, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the official nomenclature used in Missouri courts is a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 outline the definition of the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and lays forth the law for sentencing and punishments for DWI offenders for operating a vehicle with a BAC (blood alcohol content) over the legal limit or while otherwise intoxicated. After your Missouri DWI arrest, you deserve a DUI attorney near Park Hills, MO to fight for your freedom and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

A police officer may arrest someone for a DWI in Missouri for a number of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, and that covers more than just driving under the influence of alcohol. Though many DWI arrests in Missouri are done based on drunk driving allegations, you can also be arrested for a DWI on suspicion of operating a vehicle while impaired by another mind-altering drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by drugs or substances that impair skills necessary to driving including motor skills, reaction time and decision making. That means that you are liable to arrest if a police officer believes that you are impaired, including due to ingesting marijuana or even narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you or a family member have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Park Hills-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is responsive, experienced and sharp. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.

DUI Stops and Arrests in Park Hills, MO

It is critical that you know your rights lest you are stopped for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Speak to an experienced Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to understand your rights and what you should do if an officer ever stops you while you are driving in Missouri. And if you have already gone through a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our outstanding Park Hills, MO defense lawyers will shield you from injustice in court.

Know the rules and procedure for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Park Hills, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Park Hills, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be things like splitting the lane, traveling on a road going in the wrong direction and other erratic behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, swerving or braking.

A police officer must have reasonable suspicion that you were driving under the influence in order to stop you, and are required to satisfy the higher burden of probable cause in order to actually place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you suspect that you were improperly stopped or arrested for your Park Hills, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving drunk, a DUI attorney near Park Hills, MO will fight to get your case dismissed and put to rest so you can move on with your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Park Hills, MO

If a law officer stops you due to suspected drunk or drugged driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are intoxicated. There are two types of tests Park Hills, MO police officers typically use in traffic stops for driving under the influence: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)
When police officers stop drivers in Park Hills MO for driving while intoxicated, they often turn to chemical tests to prove that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. There are a few different types of chemical tests using blood, breath, saliva or urine that are meant to identify the presence of and/or measure the concentration of various substances including alcohol.

Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, pursuant to whichPark Hills, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to participate in chemical sobriety tests just by operating a vehicle. A smart DUI attorney near you will counsel you to know that you can refuse to submit to a breathalyzer, but refusal can carry a criminal charge in itself. You cannot be physically forced to take the test.

If you already did a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your DUI attorney near Park Hills, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to conclude if the breathalyzer or other test was performed legally and whether it is or is not admissible in court.
Field Sobriety Tests
Field tests are subjective tests sometimes used during a DWI stop that are designed to gauge whether you are impaired by asking the driver to perform motor tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has defined three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Park Hills, MO and throughout the United States.
1. Walk and turn – walk heel to toe in a straight line for nine steps, turn around and repeat in the opposite direction
2. One leg stand – lift one leg six inches above the ground and stand on the other leg for a period of time without losing balance
3. Gaze tests – the officer holds an object and asks the driver to follow the object with their gaze as the officer moves the object
It is your right in Missouri to refuse to perform a field test. If you are stopped and asked to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Park Hills, MO as soon as you can. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Park Hills, MO will build an unwavering defense to your case or may even be able to suppress the field test evidence if they do not meet the rules of evidence in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Park Hills, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway to systematically screen drivers for driving under the influence. There are federal laws that regulate the carriage of DUI checkpoints, but each state has its own rules and some prohibit the use of checkpoints. Lawmakers in Missouri have entertained banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows police to use them.

Police departments in Park Hills and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but it is still wise to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. If you are not sure, call a DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP.

A lawful sobriety checkpoint is justified when the police can show it is closely related to public safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

advertised to the public in advance
organized by supervising law enforcement officers
carried out in a way that is neutral to all drivers (i.e. randomly selected drivers)
limited in time
clearly associated with law enforcement

Perhaps most importantly, there must be a legitimate reason for implementing the checkpoint related to public safety, usually because the area has an abnormally high rate of drunk driving accidents.

If you find yourself at a checkpoint in Park Hills, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our skilled Park Hills, MO attorneys will fearlessly defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to us online to review your case with a kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Get the best quality criminal defense available in Park Hills, MO through Combs Waterkotte. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been charged with driving under the influence in Park Hills or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Park Hills, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other kinds of cases, including:

Learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Park Hills, MO can do to help you.

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Park Hills, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Park Hills, MO, find a trustworthy DUI attorney near you. Being arrested and convicted of a DWI or similar charge in Missouri is a serious matter that can carry significant consequences. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Park Hills, MO will defend you. Contact our Park Hills, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

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