St. Francois County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me St. Francois County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me St. Francois County, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in St. Francois County is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the details of your situation, when you are arrested for driving drunk or high, find an attorney you can trust to protect your rights and your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who has a track record of winning in St. Francois County and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, an astute St. Francois County, MO DUI attorney near you may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, reduce the charges to lesser offenses, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or negotiate a lesser punishment through a plea bargain. Most importantly, they will navigate the law and the entire legal process for your St. Francois County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after you have been arrested of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speak to Combs Law Group at (314) 900-HELP.


About Us Victories Client Testimonials

What is a DUI in St. Francois County, 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 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 deserve a DUI attorney near St. Francois County, MO to fight for your freedom and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

A person can be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a variety of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, and that covers more than just 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 operating a vehicle while under the influence of another mind-altering drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while intoxicated by drugs 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 were arrested for driving under the influence in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Law Group is a reuptable and capable St. Francois County-based DUI attorney near you. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

DUI attorney near me St. Francois County, MO | St. Francois County, MO DUI defense lawyer near me

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in St. Francois County, MO

It is critical that you know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for driving intoxicated. Speak to an experienced St. Francois County, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Law Group at (314) 900-HELP to learn about your rights and what to do if you are ever stopped when operating a vehicle in Missouri. And if you have already gone through being pulled over and arrested for driving drunk or high, our incredible St. Francois County, MO defense lawyers will fight for your freedom and justice.

Learn the rules and what to expect for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in St. Francois County, MO

A Missouri officer of the law must have reasonable suspicion that you are driving drunk in order to pull an individual over in St. Francois County, MO. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be things like drifting out of lane, traveling the wrong way down a road and any other driving behaviors such as alternating extremes in speed, swerving or stopping and going.

A police officer is not able to lawfully stop you unless they can identify reasonable suspicion that you are committing the crime of driving while intoxicated meet the more stringent burden of probable cause in order to actually arrest you for a DWI.

If you feel that you were improperly stopped for or accused of your St. Francois County, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they then obtained evidence that you were driving under the influence, a DUI attorney near St. Francois County, MO will help get your case dismissed and put to rest so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in St. Francois County, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer due to suspected intoxicated driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are under the influence. There are two types of tests St. Francois County, MO police officers typically use in traffic stops for driving under the influence: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

  1. Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)

    When police officers stop drivers in St. Francois County MO for drunk driving or driving under the influence, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove that the driver was under the influence at the time of the stop. Chemical tests include tests of the 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 what is known as an implied consent law, pursuant to which, as a St. Francois County, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests just by operating a vehicle. A good DUI attorney near you will counsel you to know that you can refuse to submit to a breathalyzer or other chemical test, but you can face legal consequences for the act of refusing the test. Still, the police cannot physically force you to produce a sample.

    If you already did a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced St. Francois County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near St. Francois County, MO, Combs Law Group will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to determine if the breathalyzer or other test was performed lawfully and whether it should or should not be admissible in court.

  2. Field Sobriety Tests

    Field tests are subjective tests sometimes used during a DWI stop that are designed to gauge whether you are intoxicated through a series of demonstrative tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has spelled out three standardized field tests that police officers can use to test drivers in St. Francois 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

    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 St. Francois County, MO as soon as possible. If you have already agreed to and performed a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in St. Francois County, MO will build an insurmountable 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.

DUI attorney near St. Francois County, MO | DWI lawyer near me

Traffic Checkpoints in St. Francois County, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway as a way to systematically screen drivers for behaviors like 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 discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows police to use them.

Police departments in St. Francois County and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but it is still prudent to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. When it doubt, speak to 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 directly related to roadway 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

In addition, there must be a logical reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, .

If you approach a checkpoint in St. Francois County, MO, speak to a Combs Law Group DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our skilled St. Francois County, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to discuss your case with a kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Get the best quality criminal defense available in St. Francois County, MO through Combs Law Group. A Combs Law Group DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and navigate the legal process when you have been accused of driving under the influence in St. Francois County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of St. Francois County, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other kinds of cases, including:

Click below to learn more about different kinds of DUI charges in Missouri and how Combs Law Group’s DUI attorneys in St. Francois County, MO can defend you.

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in St. Francois County, MO | Combs Law Group

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near St. Francois County, MO, find a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. Being arrested and convicted of a DWI or similar charge in Missouri is a serious matter that can carry significant consequences. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Law Group DUI attorney near you in St. Francois County, MO can protect you. Contact our St. Francois County, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

Local DUI Attorney Near Me

Free Case Review

Send us your information and we will be in touch.