DUI Attorney Near Me Lincoln County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Lincoln County, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Lincoln County is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the situation, when you are arrested for driving while intoxicated 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 has a track record of winning in Lincoln County and Missouri. Depending on the details of your case, a savvy DUI attorney near Lincoln County, MO will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, reduce the charges to lesser offenses, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Most importantly, they will navigate the law and all legal proceedings for your Lincoln County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice when you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Lincoln County, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the official nomenclature used in Missouri courts is 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 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, focus on finding a DUI attorney near Lincoln County, 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 long list of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, including but not limited to driving under the influence of alcohol. Though many DWI arrests in Missouri are done based on 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 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 were arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, speak to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Lincoln County-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is responsive, diligent and skilled. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.

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

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Lincoln County, MO DUI attorney near you and learn about your rights and what steps to take if you are ever stopped when driving in Missouri. And if you were already subjected to a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Lincoln County, MO defense law firm will shield you from injustice in court.

Learn the rules and procedure for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, MO. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, going the wrong way down a road and any other driving behaviors such as driving extremely slow or fast, 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 place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you suspect that you were improperly stopped or arrested for your Lincoln County, 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 have proof that you were driving drunk, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Lincoln County, 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 Lincoln County, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer due to suspected inhebriated driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are under the influence. There are two types of tests Lincoln County, MO police officers typically use in traffic stops for driving under the influence: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)
In Lincoln County, MO stops for driving while intoxicated, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the stop. There are a few different types of chemical tests using blood, breath, saliva or urine that are meant to identify the presence of and/or measure the concentration of substances like alcohol.

Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, via whichLincoln County, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically consent to participate in chemical sobriety tests simply by getting behind the wheel. A good DUI attorney near you will tell you that you can refuse to a breathalyzer or other chemical test, but you can face legal consequences for the act of refusing the test. Still, the police cannot physically force you to produce a sample.

If you already did a breathalyzer test, speak to an exemplary Lincoln County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Lincoln County, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to conclude whether the breathalyzer or other test was administered legally and whether it is or is not admissible in court.
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 defined three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Lincoln 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 a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Lincoln County, MO as soon as you can. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Lincoln County, MO DUI attorney will design an impenetrable defense to your case or make sure any illegally obtained evidence is thrown out and not used against you in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Lincoln County, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used as a way to randomly check drivers for 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 explored banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows police to use them.

Checkpoints in Lincoln County and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, speak to a DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP.

A lawful sobriety checkpoint is justified when the police can show it is closely related to roadway safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

announced to the public in advance
sanctioned or planned 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 implementing the checkpoint related to public safety, usually because the area has an abnormally high rate of drunk driving accidents.

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

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Lincoln County, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and defend you when you have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Lincoln County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Lincoln County, MO attorneys have expertise in a number of other kinds of cases, including:

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

Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in Lincoln County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you were stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Lincoln County, MO, you need to hire a trustworthy DUI attorney near you. A Missouri DWI and similar charges are serious accusations that can carry significant consequences. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Lincoln County, MO will protect you. Contact our Lincoln County, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

Lincoln County, MO