A DUI charge can be scary and stressful. Maybe you were driving home after having a few drinks at a friend’s house when you saw the flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror. After a field sobriety test and breath test didn’t go well, you found yourself charged with DUI.
Now What?
Although DUI charges are relatively common, they are extremely serious charges that should not be taken lightly. A conviction can lead to a suspension of your driver’s license and possibly land you in jail. All of these consequences can harm your job, financial security and your future opportunities.
For these reasons, the first thing you should do after being charged with a DUI is call an attorney. At Speights Law in Canton, Georgia, we provide aggressive defenses for drunk driving charges. We know that your future is on the line, and we will fight to protect it.
You Must Act Quickly
In Georgia, you must submit a letter of appeal to the Department of Driver Services to request a hearing and prevent your license from being suspended automatically. This letter must be submitted within 10 days of your arrest.
The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can ensure your letter is properly completed and submitted on time. We can also represent you at the hearing to ensure your rights are protected.
Challenging The Charges
It is a common misconception that DUI charges can’t be challenged. If the breath test said you were intoxicated, and police say you looked and acted intoxicated, what can you do?
In fact, drunk driving charges can be challenged. If you work with us, we will consider the following possibilities for challenging the charges against you:
- Inaccurate breath test: Breath tests are not 100 percent accurate. If the machine was not calibrated properly or if it malfunctioned in some way, the results could be wrong. We will conduct an investigation to determine whether your breath test’s results could have been wrong.
- Illegal stop: In order to be arrested for DUI, you have to be pulled over by police. However, police are held to certain standards when they decide to stop a vehicle. If police did not have reason to stop you in the first place, the charges against you may not hold up
- Unreliable field sobriety tests: Field sobriety tests are used by police to determine whether a person might be intoxicated. However, field sobriety tests are very unreliable. Any number of factors can lead to a failed sobriety test, and we will strive to show this if your test results are hurting your case.
- Errors in blood tests: Although blood tests are often the most reliable of all intoxication tests, errors in blood tests are not uncommon. Contamination or a mix-up of samples can lead to inaccurate results that may be inadmissible in court.
When your future is on the line, we will not hesitate to fight to protect you. No matter what your situation, we strive to find the most effective way to minimize the consequences you will face.
Start Today With An Initial Consultation
In your first consultation, we can learn more about your situation and begin determining how best to proceed. Evening and weekend appointments are available upon request. To schedule a time to meet with one of our lawyers, call 770-479-1500 or send us an email.
Archie Speights is a co-founder and lead criminal law attorney of Speights Law in Cherokee County. He is an experienced criminal defense lawyer who handles an assortment of major felony cases, including murder, sex crimes, aggravated assault, and drug crimes in the state of Georgia. To contact Archie, please visit our contact page.