DWI Lawyer in St. Clair, MO

DWI Lawyer in St. Clair, MO. Being pulled over and accused of driving while intoxicated is almost certainly one of the worst worries a St. Clair-area driver can have. Not only will you be stripped of your driving privileges for a minimum of sixty days, you will have to pay a significant fine, face increased insurance costs, and have points on your license for years to come. To make matters worse, your image in the community will take a significant hit, and your ability to potentially travel out of the United States could be curtailed, as countries such as Canada prevent travelers with DWI convictions on their record from entering.

Have You Been Pulled Over For DWI in St. Clair?

Having an aggressive and effective St. Clair, MO DWI lawyer in your corner can —and often does — make the difference between pleading guilty to DWI and facing all its consequences, and having charges reduced or even dismissed. At Combs Law Group, our experienced St. Louis DWI lawyers fight relentlessly on behalf of all our St. Clair, MO-area DWI clients. Whether this is the first time you have ever been pulled over for any moving violation or if you have faced DWI charges before, our firm will give your St. Clair DWI case the personal attention you deserve and craft a legal strategy that is built to get you the best possible outcome.

Our record of success for those accused of DWI is second to none, and we are committed to total client satisfaction in everything we do. After you have been arrested for DWI, make (314) 900-HELP your first call. Initial consultations are always free, and Combs Law Group will work with you regardless of any financial difficulties you might have to help you beat your St. Louis DWI charges.

What Should I Do After I’m Pulled Over For DWI?

After you have been stopped by a police officer who believes that you are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it’s natural to be nervous. Being pulled over by the cops for any traffic infraction is something that can trigger a “fight or flight” response, and this is only heightened when you are accused of impaired driving. Having tried many St. Clair-area DWI cases, our firm requests that you do the following if you are ever stopped for DWI:

• Find a secure place to pull over. If you are on a road with a shoulder, pull over there, or stop at a nearby parking lot. Try not to park on grass.
• Record the entire interaction with your phone. Having your own record of your St. Clair DWI stop can greatly benefit your case and find potential discrepancies between the police report and what actually happened. Police officers are required to follow a specific procedure in every DWI stop, and any wrong or skipped action can result in your case being dismissed. Make sure that your phone is locked and secured with a password, too: courts have ruled that police can detain and search unsecured cell phones.
• Stay calm and cooperative. Being hostile to a police officer will lower the odds that they will search your car or subject you to increased scrutiny. Being polite goes a long way when stopped for DWI.
• Remember: you have the right to remain silent. Give the officer your license and insurance/registration, but do not give them anything else. Cops are looking for any excuse to continue an investigation and take you into custody, so do not give them one.
• Do not take a hand-heldportable breath test. While Missouri does have an implied consent law that automatically suspends your driving privileges for 12 months if you elect not to take a breathalyzer or blood test, this only comes into effect after you have been placed under arrest for DWI. Hand-held breathalyzers are often unreliable and are only used as a method for an officer to get probable cause to place you under arrest.
• If you are arrested, call a lawyer as soon as possible. Your chat with an attorney is completely confidential and privileged under Missouri law. Getting advice from an experienced St. Louis DWI lawyer about whether you should take a breath test at the precinct, any issues that arose in your stop, or additional questions you might have can be the difference between paying substantial fines and your case possibly being dismissed.

Fighting Both Sides Of Your St. Clair, MO DWI Case

DWI cases in Missouri have two components: a criminal process and a civil side. The criminal sentences for DWI in Missouri, as you likely know, are serious. Even a first St. Clair DWI offense could lead to the following consequences under Missouri law, as it is classified as a class B misdemeanor:

• 8 points on your driving record
• Up to 6 months in jail
• Up to a $500 fine
• A 90-day drivers’ license suspension, the last 60 of which can be restored to a restricted driving privilege (RDP) permit
• Required participation in a drug/alcohol treatment program known as SATOP
• Required purchase of a high-risk auto insurance plan, also known as an SR-22

What Happens If This Isn’t My First DWI?

If this is your second DWI arrest in St. Clair, MO, you will likely be looking at class A misdemeanor charges, which include these punishments:

• No more than one year in jail (any jail sentence for a second DWI must include at least 10 days of “shock time” in jail before possible suspension of sentence or probation)
• Maximum two years probation
• Fines of no more than $1,000
• The suspension of your driving privileges, which ranges from one to five years
• You must install and maintain, at your own expense, an ignition interlock device (which prevents someone from starting a vehicle if their BAC is over a certain limit)
• Continuous, trackable alcohol monitoring (either by regular breath tests or a wearable device)
• Required participation in a drug/alcohol treatment program
• Required purchase of a high-risk auto insurance plan, also known as an SR-22

The administrative portion of a St. Clair, MO DWI case relates to your driving privileges, and how the Missouri Department of Revenue handles your license revocation or suspension. Most St. Clair-area drivers are not aware that you can appeal the automatic suspension or revocation of your license, so long as that appeal is filed within 15 days of your initial arrest. When you work with the St. Clair, MO DWI lawyers at Combs Law Group, you can rest assured that our firm will take on both parts of your DWI case urgently and work relentlessly to reduce the effect a DWI arrest has on your life. We will obtain evidence, look at the details of your case, identify potential problems in the police report or arrest, and create a strategy that is built to win.

Some of our recent DWI/DUI Victories

Our track record for getting the best outcomes for our St. Clair, MO DWI clients is unmatched, as evidenced by these results:

Contact A St. Clair DWI Lawyer Who Gets Results | Combs Law Group

If you have just been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in St. Clair, MO, you are definitely cognizant that timing is critical when dealing with your case. The sooner you can get a trusted St. Clair DWI lawyer to read documents, obtain evidence, and craft your defense, the better the odds are that the punishments resulting from your St. Clair DWI arrest will be greatly reduced, if not erased.

Combs Law Group has helped many St. Clair-area residents from all backgrounds fight DWI accusations. Our firm melds first-rate legal knowledge and hard-nosed litigation with a pledge to provide personal attention and communication that is unequaled among St. Clair DWI law firms. Our DWI lawyers guarantee that no matter the time, no matter the situation, and no matter where you are, they will be able to answer your call and talk about your case or any other legal concern. This is part of our promise of total client satisfaction, which our former clients can speak to as well.

After you have been pulled over and arrested for DWI in the St. Clair, MO area, call (314) 900-HELP first to schedule a free initial document review and put the skilled St. Clair DWI lawyers at Combs Law Group to work for you.