Clinton County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Clinton County, MO

DUI attorney near me in Clinton County, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Clinton County, MO is a serious matter. Whatever the circumstances, when you are criminally charged for driving drunk or high, find an attorney you can trust to protect your rights and your future.

You deserve a talented defense attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Clinton County and Missouri. Depending on the details of your case, a sharp DUI attorney near Clinton County, MO will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the charges dropped, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or negotiate a lesser punishment through a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to navigate the law and all legal proceedings for your Clinton County, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation after being accused of driving under the influence, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Clinton County, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, Missouri law actually calls the offense a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 define what constitutes the crime of driving while intoxicated and specifies the guidelines Missouri courts must follow to sentence and punish DWI offenders for operating a vehicle with a BAC (blood alcohol content) over the legal limit or while otherwise intoxicated. After your Missouri DWI arrest, you deserve a DUI attorney near Clinton County, MO who will stand up on your behalf and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a variety of reasons. The law outlaws driving while intoxicated — not explicitly for driving under the influence of alcohol. While DWI arrests are often accusations of driving drunk, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while under the influence of another psychoactive drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while intoxicated by drugs or substances 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, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Clinton County-based DUI attorney near you. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Clinton County, MO

It is critical that you know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Speak to an experienced Clinton County, 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 being pulled over and arrested for driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Clinton County, MO defense lawyers will fight for your freedom and justice.

Find out about the rules and what to expect for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Clinton County, MO

A Missouri officer of the law must have reasonable suspicion that you are driving drunk in order to pull an individual over in Clinton County, MO. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be things like splitting the lane, traveling on a road going in the wrong direction and any other driving behaviors such as alternating extremes 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 meet the higher burden of probable cause before they can place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you feel that you were unlawfully stopped for or accused of your Clinton County, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving intoxicated, a DUI attorney near Clinton County, MO will help get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Clinton County, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer under suspicion of intoxicated driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are intoxicated. When it comes to roadside tests used by Clinton County, 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)

   When police officers stop drivers in Clinton County MO for DUIs, chemical tests are often used as evidence to collect evidence that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. There are a few different types of chemical tests using 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 in place an implied consent law, pursuant to which, as a Clinton County, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically consent to participate in chemical sobriety tests simply by getting behind the wheel. A smart 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 take the test.

   If you already did a breathalyzer test, consult an exemplary Clinton County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your Clinton County, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to conclude if 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 are designed to gauge 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 Clinton County, 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

   As a Missouri driver, you have the right to refuse to perform a field test. If you are stopped and asked to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Clinton County, MO immediately. If you have already performed a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Clinton County, MO will design an insurmountable defense to your case or ensure that evidence that does not meet Missouri’s rules of evidence such as improperly obtained sobriety tests are not used against you in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Clinton County, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway to systematically screen drivers for driving under the influence. Federal law allows the use of DUI checkpoints by police departments, but they must meet certain standards. Lawmakers in Missouri have explored banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Police departments in Clinton County and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but you should still educate yourself on your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. When it doubt, speak 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 closely related to roadway safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

• announced 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
• clearly associated with law enforcement

Perhaps most importantly, there must be a legitimate reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, .

If you are going through a checkpoint in Clinton County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our skilled Clinton County, MO attorneys will fearlessly defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to discuss your case with a kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Get the best quality criminal defense available in Clinton County, MO through Combs Waterkotte. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and defend you when you have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Clinton County or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Clinton County, MO defense lawyers can help you with a wide range of other case types, including:

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

Click below to learn more about different kinds of DUI charges in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Clinton County, 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

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Clinton County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Clinton County, MO, find 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. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Clinton County, MO will protect you. Contact our Clinton County, MO defense law firm right away to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.