When you or a loved one are arrested and charged with a first-time DUI in Jupiter, there are numerous thoughts running through your mind, including the fear of the unknown. Most first-time DUI offenders have never been in trouble before and have no experience with the criminal justice system. This is where a skilled DUI attorney can help guide you through the difficult and lengthy legal process.
DUIs are commonly referred to as the everyman crime because the majority of people have, at some point in their lives, had a couple of drinks and got behind the wheel to drive. If it were illegal to have a couple of drinks and drive, then there would not be parking lots outside of bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. A lawyer can use this simple principle and argue it in your case to obtain a favorable result.
At the time an officer makes a decision to arrest a person for DUI, the officer does not know the breath alcohol level of the person. It is not until after the person is under arrest for DUI can the officer ask for a breath sample. As backward as this process seems, this is the law. This means that when the officer makes a decision to arrest a person for DUI, it is only the officer’s opinion that the arrested person is intoxicated since, at the time of the arrest, the officer does not know the breath alcohol level. Police officers are human, and their opinions are not always correct. This is where a knowledgeable lawyer can successfully defend your DUI arrest.
At Keller, Melchiorre & Walsh, we have three former prosecutors that have all handled numerous DUI jury trials. Additionally, one of the partners is a former supervisor in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office and supervised all DUI cases in Palm Beach County. Our experience in handling DUI cases is unparalleled.
There are two aspects to every DUI case. The criminal justice side, which deals with everything that happens in court, and the administrative side, which deals with your driver’s license. If a person provided a breath sample over the legal limit of .08 or they refused to provide a sample, then there will be a driver’s license suspension. These two aspects concern the same incident, but they are separate and independent from each other. In other words, you could obtain differing outcomes on both sides.
It is important to know that the driver’s license suspension (administrative side) must be dealt with immediately. There are only ten (10) days from the date of arrest to challenge the driver’s license suspension and attempt to obtain a hardship license. If this ten (10) day period is missed, the suspension becomes permanently effective. If this is your first DUI arrest, you can either challenge the driver’s license suspension (referred to as a Formal Review Hearing) or obtain a hardship license immediately. A hardship license will allow you to drive for work, get food, and doctor’s office visits. If you are like the majority of people, it is nearly impossible to survive without the ability to drive. A skilled lawyer in Jupiter will help you through the first-time DUI process and help save your ability to drive.
It is important to know that the criminal justice process takes time. Your first-time DUI case in Jupiter will not be resolved at the first court hearing. Many times, people have a preconceived notion that their case will be over after the first court date. There will not be a trial on the first court date, and there is generally not a plea on the first court date. Prepare yourself mentally that there is a process to all DUI cases, and they take time for even the best attorneys to handle properly.
Yes, any time a person is charged with any criminal case, they face jail time. However, if it is a first-time DUI, a skilled Jupiter attorney can usually avoid jail time.
The penalties in Jupiter for a first-time DUI range can vary depending on a few factors. These factors include whether there was a crash as a result of DUI, whether there were children present in the car, and whether the breath sample was above an enhanced level of .15. First-time DUI penalties can range from no jail time to a year in jail along with probation. The conditions of probation can include:
If a person either pleads guilty to a DUI or is convicted of a DUI after a trial, then there will be a DUI conviction on their record. You will not be able to expunge your record unless you are able to avoid a DUI conviction. An experienced defense lawyer in Jupiter can help you successfully defend against a first-time DUI in order to avoid a conviction.
The field sobriety tests are not tests. In other words, they are not pass or fail. They are merely a series of exercises that are subjective. There is no standardized set of criteria that require the officers to place a person under arrest for a DUI if the person does meet specific criteria.
It depends on the police department that made the arrest. Most police departments have either in-car dash cameras that record the DUI or body-worn cameras. If there is a video, then an attorney will be able to obtain the video. However, in some first-time DUI cases in Jupiter, there are no videos. Even if there are no videos in your case, it does not mean that your case will be thrown out. There were no videos years ago before the abundance of video recorders, yet there were still DUI arrests and convictions. Videos are not required because an officer can always come into court and testify as to what they saw and why they made an arrest. However, when there are no videos, a DUI lawyer can attack the officer’s memory and credibility as to why the officer did not call for an officer with a video camera to show up on the scene.
Even if you blew over the legal limit, it does not mean your first-time DUI case in Jupiter cannot be successfully defended. There are legal thresholds that law enforcement must satisfy before the breath limit is admissible. Additionally, there may be legal challenges to the Intoxilyzer (breath machine).
If you refused to provide a breath sample, then your case is based solely on the subjective opinion of the officer. This makes hiring a practiced DUI lawyer to advocate on your behalf all the more important. A skilled lawyer can cross-examine the officer and illustrate the weaknesses in his testimony.
Yes, but a DUI lawyer can fight the license suspension. Additionally, you may be eligible for a hardship license. You can read more about fighting the license suspension and hardship licenses.
At the time the breath, blood, or urine sample is requested, you are already under arrest by the police. Even if you blow and you blow under the legal limit, you are not going to be released from arrest. Once you are under arrest, criminal charges against you have begun, and you will remain in custody for a first-time DUI arrest in Jupiter for at least eight (8) hours before you are released from jail.
By providing a breath, blood, or urine sample, you are only providing the police with more potential evidence against you that they otherwise would not have. Furthermore, if you provide a sample and it is above .15, then you will face enhanced minimum mandatory criminal penalties that you would not be facing if you would have refused to provide a sample.
Diversion is a program for first-time offenders in Jupiter to avoid a DUI conviction on their record. Depending on the county the DUI case is in, there may be a diversion program. When you qualify for the diversion program, then the prosecution can break down the DUI charge and avoid a conviction. Every county that has a diversion program is different. A lawyer can tell you if the county you were arrested in has a diversion program and if your case qualifies for diversion.
As a practical matter, aside from any of the possible penalties of a first-time DUI in Jupiter, there can be other long-lasting effects of a DUI conviction. First, a DUI conviction will remain on your criminal record permanently and can come up on a background check when you apply for a job. If you have a job that requires a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License), your job may be in jeopardy with a DUI conviction. If you have any professional license, a DUI conviction may impact your professional license. Some professional licenses require that a license holder report a DUI conviction. Additionally, a DUI conviction can cause your car insurance premiums to increase. It is even possible that your car insurance will drop you from coverage with a DUI conviction.
Contact us now for a free consultation to find out more about how we can defend your case. Our experience as three former prosecutors gives us an advantage that we use to represent our clients.
