Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

DUI attorney near me in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO is a serious matter. Regardless of the situation, when you are facing a conviction for driving under the influence by drugs or alcohol, a you need the best legal representation available to protect your rights and your future.

You deserve a talented defense attorney who knows their way around DUI cases in Bellefontaine Neighbors and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, a sharp Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI attorney near you will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, fight the conviction in a trial or negotiate a lesser punishment through a plea bargain. Most importantly, they will use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation after you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, Missouri courts actually call the offense a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 define the definition of the crime of driving under the influence and specifies the rules 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 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO who will stand up on your behalf and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a number 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 under the influence of another psychoactive drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while intoxicated by drugs that impair your consciousness or motor skills. That means that you can be subject 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 or a family member have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, reach out to a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Bellefontaine Neighbors-based DUI attorney near you. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are stopped for driving under the influence. Reach out to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI attorney near you and understand 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 intoxicated driving, our outstanding Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO defense law firm will protect your rights and freedoms.

Find out about the rules and procedure for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like drifting out of lane, driving on a road going in the wrong direction and any other behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, swerving or stopping and going.

A police officer must have reasonable suspicion that you were driving under the influence in order to stop you, and are required to satisfy the more stringent burden of probable cause in order to actually arrest you for a DWI.

If you believe that you were unlawfully stopped for or accused of your Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they then obtained evidence that you were driving under the influence, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO who can fight to get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

If a law officer stops you under suspicion of intoxicated driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are intoxicated. When it comes to roadside tests used by Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO police officers to determine intoxication, there are two primary types they may utilize: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

1. Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)

   In Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO stops for drunk driving or driving under the influence, they often turn to chemical tests to collect evidence that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. Chemical tests include tests of the blood, breath, saliva or urine that check for the presence and concentration of various substances including alcohol.

   Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, via whichBellefontaine Neighbors, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests simply by driving a vehicle. A good DUI attorney near you will tell you that you can refuse to submit to a breathalyzer or other chemical test, but refusal can carry a criminal charge in itself. Still, the police cannot physically force you to produce a sample.

   If you do take a breathalyzer test, speak to an experienced Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to conclude whether the breathalyzer or other test was administered lawfully and whether it should or should not be admissible in court.

2. Field Sobriety Tests

   Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that attempt to determine whether you are impaired by asking the driver to perform motor tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has spelled out three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Bellefontaine Neighbors, 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, contact a DUI attorney near you in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO as soon as you can. If you already agreed to and participated in a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO DUI attorney will build an unwavering defense to your case or may even be able to suppress the field test evidence if they do not meet the rules of evidence in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway as a way to randomly check drivers for behaviors like driving under the influence. There are federal laws allowing but regulating the carriage of DUI checkpoints, but each state has its own rules and some prohibit the use of checkpoints. Missouri lawmakers have discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Police departments in Bellefontaine Neighbors 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, turn 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. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

• 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
• visibly associated with law enforcement

In addition, there must be a legitimate reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, such as an area where a higher-than-average rate of drunk driving-related accidents has occurred.

If you approach a checkpoint in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our determined Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO attorneys will tenaciously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to us online to discuss your case with a compassionate and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been accused of driving under the influence in Bellefontaine Neighbors or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO defense lawyers can help you with a number of other kinds of cases, including:

• Weapons Crime Attorney
• DWI Administrative Hearing Lawyer
• Violent Crime Lawyer

Click below to learn more about the different DUI cases in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO can do to help you.

• DWI/DUI Lawyer in St. Louis
• CDL DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• DWI Accident Lawyer in St. Louis
• First Offense DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• Marijuana DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• Second Offense DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• DWI with Drugs Lawyer in St. Louis
• Felony DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• Hit and Run DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
• Other Criminal Defense Cases

Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO, you need to hire a trustworthy DUI attorney near you. Being arrested and convicted of a DWI or similar charge in Missouri is a serious matter that can carry significant consequences. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO will protect you. Contact our Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.