DUI Attorney Near Me St. Louis County, MO

DUI attorney near me in St. Louis County, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in St. Louis County, MO is a serious matter. Regardless of the situation, when you are criminally charged for driving drunk or high, a you need the best legal representation available to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in St. Louis County and Missouri. Depending on the details of your case, a savvy St. Louis County, MO DUI attorney near you may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, reduce the charges to lesser offenses, fight the conviction in a trial or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to navigate the law and all legal proceedings for your St. Louis County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice when you have been arrested of driving under the influence, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in St. Louis 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 lay forth the definition of the crime of driving under the influence and specifies the rules 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. If you have been arrested in Missouri for a DWI, focus on finding a DUI attorney near St. Louis County, MO who will stand up on your behalf and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

A police officer may arrest someone for a DWI in Missouri for a long list of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, and that covers more than just driving under the influence of alcohol. While DWI arrests are often accusations of driving drunk, you can also be arrested for a DWI on suspicion of operating a vehicle while impaired by another psychoactive drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by drugs or substances that impair skills necessary to driving including motor skills, reaction time and decision making. That means that a police officer can arrest you if they suspect that you are impaired, including being high as a result of marijuana or THC use or under the influence of narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you were arrested for a DWI in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable St. Louis County-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is dedicated, experienced and sharp. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

DUI Stops and Arrests in St. Louis County, MO

It is critical that you know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for driving intoxicated. Reach out to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading St. Louis County, MO DUI attorney near you and understand your rights and what steps to take 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 incredible St. Louis County, MO defense attorneys will shield you from injustice in court.

Become familiar with the rules and procedure for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, traveling 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 higher 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 St. Louis County, MO DWI, contact 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 intoxicated, turn to a DUI attorney near you in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO

If a law officer stops you due to suspected inhebriated 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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis County MO for driving while intoxicated, 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 blood, breath, saliva or 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 what is known as an implied consent law, via which, as a St. Louis County, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically consent to participate in 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, but you can face legal consequences for the act of refusing the test. Still, the police cannot physically force you to take the test.

   If you already did a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced St. Louis County, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your St. Louis County, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to determine whether the breathalyzer or other test was administered as according to law and whether it should or should not be 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 specified three standardized field tests that police officers can use to test drivers in St. Louis 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

   It is your right in Missouri 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 St. Louis County, MO as soon as you can. If you have already agreed to and performed a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your St. Louis County, MO DUI attorney will build an impenetrable 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 St. Louis County, 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. 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.

Checkpoints in St. Louis County and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. When it doubt, call 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. 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 logical reason for implementing the checkpoint related to public safety, .

If you approach a checkpoint in St. Louis County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our experienced St. Louis County, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to review 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 St. Louis County, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and defend you when you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in St. Louis County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of St. Louis County, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other kinds of cases, including:

• Drivers License Reinstatement Attorney
• Careless Imprudent Driving Attorneys
• Weapons Crime Attorney

Click below to learn more about different kinds of DUI cases in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near St. Louis County, 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. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in St. Louis County, MO can protect you. Contact our St. Louis County, MO defense law firm now to discuss your rights, your case and your future.