DUI Attorney Near Me Valley Park, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Valley Park, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Valley Park is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the circumstances, when you are criminally charged for driving drunk or high, a you need the best legal representation available to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve a talented defense attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Valley Park and Missouri. Depending on the details of your case, a savvy Valley Park, MO DUI attorney near you 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, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Most importantly, they will use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your Valley Park, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after you have been arrested of driving under the influence, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Valley Park, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the offense is actually referred to a DWI (driving while intoxicated) in Missouri civil and criminal law. Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 define the definition of the crime of driving under the influence and establishes the rules Missouri courts must follow to sentence and punish DWI offenders, 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 Valley Park, 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 variety of reasons. The law prohibits driving while intoxicated — not explicitly for driving under the influence of alcohol. While DWI arrests are often drunk driving allegations, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while impaired by some kind of mind-altering drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also 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 being high as a result of marijuana or THC use or under the influence of narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you were arrested for a DWI in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Valley Park-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is dedicated, experienced and sharp. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Valley Park, MO

It is critical that you know your rights lest you are pulled over for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Speak to an experienced Valley Park, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to learn about your rights and what you should do if you are ever stopped when operating a vehicle in Missouri. And if you were already subjected to a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Valley Park, MO defense law firm will shield you from injustice in court.

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

DUI Traffic Stops in Valley Park, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Valley Park, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be things like drifting out of lane, going on a road going in the wrong direction and any other behaviors such as alternating extremes in speed, swerving or braking.

A police officer is not able to lawfully conduct a traffic stop unless there is reasonable suspicion that you are breaking the law by driving while intoxicated 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 Valley Park, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you at your earliest opportunity. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they then obtained evidence that you were driving intoxicated, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Valley Park, MO who 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 Valley Park, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer 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 Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO stops for drunk driving or driving under the influence, they often turn to chemical tests to collect evidence that the driver was under the influence at the time of the stop. Chemical tests include tests of the bodily samples from blood to breath to saliva to urine that are meant to identify the presence of and/or measure the concentration of substances like alcohol.

Each state has its own laws and many, including Missouri have what is known as an implied consent law, via whichValley Park, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically consent to participate in chemical sobriety tests simply by operating a vehicle. A good 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. Still, you cannot be physically forced to take the test.

If you do take a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced Valley Park, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Valley Park, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to determine whether the breathalyzer or other test was administered lawfully and whether it is or is not admissible in court.
Field Sobriety Tests
Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that attempt to determine 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 Valley Park, MO and all over 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, contact a DUI attorney near you in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO will design a defense to your case or make sure any illegally obtained evidence is thrown out and not used against you in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Valley Park, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway as a way to randomly check 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 discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Police departments in Valley Park and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but it is still wise to educate yourself on your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, speak to 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 roadway safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

announced to the public in advance
sanctioned or planned 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, .

If you are going through a checkpoint in Valley Park, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our determined Valley Park, MO attorneys will tenaciously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to review your situation with a kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Valley Park, MO area. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Valley Park or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Valley Park, MO defense lawyers can help you with a number of other case types, including:

Click below to learn more about different kinds of DUI cases in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Valley Park, MO can defend you.

Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in Valley Park, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Valley Park, MO, find a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. A Missouri DWI and similar charges are serious accusations that can carry significant consequences. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Valley Park, MO will defend you. Contact our Valley Park, MO defense law firm right away to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

Valley Park, MO