DUI Attorney Near Me Pike County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Pike County, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Pike County, MO is a serious matter. Whatever the details of your situation, when you are arrested for driving drunk or high, a you need the best legal representation available to protect your rights and your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Pike County and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, a sharp DUI attorney near Pike County, MO will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, reduce the charges 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 Pike County, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation when you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Pike County, MO?

Though many people refer to it as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, Missouri courts actually call the offense a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 define what constitutes the crime of driving under the influence and lays forth the rules Missouri courts must follow to sentence and punish those convicted of a DWI, with the latter specific to driving with a BAC, or blood alcohol content, over the legal limit. After your Missouri DWI arrest, you may need a DUI attorney near Pike County, MO to fight for your freedom and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a variety of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, including but not limited to driving under the influence of alcohol. While many DWI arrests in Missouri are done based on drunk driving allegations, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while impaired by some kind of intoxicating substance.

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

If you were arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, speak to a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Pike County-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is responsive, diligent and sharp. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Pike County, MO

It is critical that you know your rights lest you are pulled over for driving intoxicated. Reach out to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Pike County, MO DUI attorney near you and learn about your rights and what to do if you are ever stopped when driving in Missouri. And if you have already gone through being pulled over and arrested for driving drunk or high, our outstanding Pike County, MO defense law firm will protect your rights and freedoms.

Find out about the rules and what to expect for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Pike County, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Pike County, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, going the wrong way down a road and other erratic behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, swerving or alternating between braking and accelerating.

A police officer must have reasonable suspicion that you were driving under the influence in order to stop you, and are required to meet the more stringent burden of probable cause before they can arrest you for a DWI.

If you suspect that you were wrongly stopped for or accused of your Pike County, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving drunk, a DUI attorney near Pike County, MO can fight to get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Pike County, MO

If a law officer stops you under suspicion of inhebriated driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are intoxicated. There are two types of tests Pike County, MO police officers typically use in traffic stops for driving under the influence: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)
In Pike County, MO stops for drunk driving or driving under the influence, chemical tests are often used as evidence to collect evidence that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the stop. Chemical tests include tests of the bodily samples from blood to breath to saliva to urine that check for the presence and concentration of substances like alcohol.

Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, pursuant to whichPike County, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests just by getting behind the wheel. 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 produce a sample.

If you do take a breathalyzer test, speak to an experienced Pike County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Pike County, MO, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to examine if the breathalyzer or other test was administered as according to law 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 meant 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 that police officers can use to test drivers in Pike County, 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
As a Missouri driver, you have the right to refuse to perform a field test. If a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Pike County, MO as soon as possible. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Pike County, MO DUI attorney will build an unwavering defense to your case or ensure that evidence that does not meet Missouri’s rules of evidence such as improperly obtained sobriety tests are not used against you in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Pike County, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used to systematically screen drivers for driving under the influence. Federal law allows the use of DUI checkpoints by police departments, but they must meet certain standards. Lawmakers in Missouri have explored banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Police departments in Pike County and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, call a DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP.

The police must be able to justify the use and location for a sobriety checkpoint by showing that the decisions are closely related to public safety. DUI checkpoints should be:

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 logical reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, such as an area where a higher-than-average rate of drunk driving-related accidents has occurred.

If you approach a checkpoint in Pike County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our experienced Pike County, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to review your case with a compassionate and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Pike County, MO area. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and defend you when you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Pike County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Pike County, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other case types, including:

Learn more about the different DUI cases in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Pike County, MO can defend you.

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Pike County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do not waste any time. If you were stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Pike County, MO, you need to hire a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. A Missouri DWI and similar charges are serious accusations that can carry significant consequences. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Pike County, MO can defend you. Contact our Pike County, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

Pike County, MO