Park Hills, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Park Hills, MO

DUI attorney near me in Park Hills, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Park Hills, MO is a serious matter. Whatever the situation, when you are arrested for driving drunk or high, find an attorney you can trust to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who knows their way around DUI cases in Park Hills and Missouri. Depending on the details of your case, a sharp DUI attorney near Park Hills, MO 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 use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your Park Hills, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after you have been arrested of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Park Hills, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the offense is actually referred to a DWI (driving while intoxicated) in Missouri civil and criminal law. Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 lay forth what constitutes the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and lays forth the guidelines 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, focus on finding a DUI attorney near Park Hills, MO who will stand up on your behalf and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

A police officer may arrest someone 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 operating a vehicle while under the influence of some kind of intoxicating substance.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by psychoactive substances or substances that impair your consciousness or motor skills. That means that a police officer can arrest you if they suspect 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 under the influence in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Park Hills-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 Park Hills, MO

It is critical that you know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for driving intoxicated. Speak to an experienced Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to understand your rights and what steps to take if an officer ever stops you while you are driving in Missouri. And if you have already gone through a traffic stop and were arrested for intoxicated driving, our outstanding Park Hills, MO defense law firm will fight for your freedom and justice.

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

DUI Traffic Stops in Park Hills, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Park Hills, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be things like drifting out of lane, going on a road going in the wrong direction and any other behaviors such as alternating extremes in speed, swerving or alternating between braking and accelerating.

A police officer is not allowed to conduct a traffic stop unless they can identify reasonable suspicion that you are committing the crime of driving while intoxicated 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 or arrested for your Park Hills, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you at your earliest opportunity. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they then obtained evidence that you were driving drunk, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer under suspicion of inhebriated driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are under the influence. When it comes to roadside tests used by Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, MO stops for DUIs, they often turn to chemical tests to prove that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. Chemical tests include tests of the bodily samples from blood to breath to saliva to urine that check for the presence and concentration of various substances including alcohol.

   Each state has its own laws and many, including Missouri have what is known as an implied consent law, pursuant to whichPark Hills, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests simply by operating a vehicle. A smart DUI attorney near you will tell you that you can refuse to submit 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 do take a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your Park Hills, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to determine if the breathalyzer or other test was performed lawfully and whether it is or is not admissible in court.

2. Field Sobriety Tests

   Field tests are subjective tests sometimes used during a DWI stop that attempt 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 that police officers can use to test drivers in Park Hills, 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, contact a DUI attorney near you in Park Hills, MO as soon as you can. If you already performed a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Park Hills, MO DUI attorney will design an unwavering 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 Park Hills, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used as a way to randomly check drivers for driving under the influence. There are federal laws that regulate the carriage of DUI checkpoints, but each state has its own rules and some prohibit the use of checkpoints. Missouri legislators have discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Police departments in Park Hills and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. When it doubt, turn to a DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP.

A lawful sobriety checkpoint is justified when the police can show it is directly related to roadway safety. DUI checkpoints should be:

• 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
• clearly associated with law enforcement

In addition, there must be a legitimate reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, usually because the area has an abnormally high rate of drunk driving accidents.

If you find yourself at a checkpoint in Park Hills, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our skilled Park Hills, MO attorneys will tenaciously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to us online to review your case 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 Park Hills, MO area. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and defend you when you have been charged with driving under the influence in Park Hills or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Park Hills, MO attorneys have expertise in a wide range of other kinds of cases, including:

Click below to learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Park Hills, MO, find a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. 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 Park Hills, MO will defend you. Contact our Park Hills, MO defense law firm right away to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.