DUI attorney near me in Ste. Genevieve County, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Ste. Genevieve County is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the circumstances, when you are criminally charged for driving drunk or high, 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 Ste. Genevieve County and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, an astute Ste. Genevieve County, MO DUI attorney near you may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to navigate the law and the entire legal process for your Ste. Genevieve County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after you have been arrested of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.
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What is a DUI in Ste. Genevieve 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 outline what constitutes the crime of driving under the influence and defines 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, you deserve a DUI attorney near Ste. Genevieve County, MO to fight for your freedom and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.
A person can be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a variety of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, including but not limited to 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 some kind of intoxicating substance.
The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by drugs 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 were arrested for driving under the influence in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Ste. Genevieve County-based DUI attorney near you. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.
DUI Stops and Arrests in Ste. Genevieve County, MO
You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are stopped for driving intoxicated. Reach out to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Ste. Genevieve 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 being pulled over and arrested for intoxicated driving, our incredible Ste. Genevieve County, MO defense attorneys will shield you from injustice in court.
Become familiar with the rules and what to expect for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.
DUI Traffic Stops in Ste. Genevieve County, MO
In order to pull someone over, a Ste. Genevieve County, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, going the wrong way down a road and other erratic behaviors such as driving extremely slow or fast, swerving or stopping and going.
A police officer is not able to lawfully stop you unless they can identify reasonable suspicion that you are breaking the law by driving while intoxicated meet the higher burden of probable cause before they can arrest you for a DWI.
If you believe that you were wrongly stopped or arrested for your Ste. Genevieve County, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you at your earliest opportunity. 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 Ste. Genevieve 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 Ste. Genevieve County, MO
If a law officer stops you due to suspected drunk or drugged 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 Ste. Genevieve County, MO police officers to determine intoxication, there are two primary types they may utilize: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.
- Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)
In Ste. Genevieve County, MO stops for driving while intoxicated, chemical tests are often used as evidence to collect evidence that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. Chemical tests include tests of the blood, breath, saliva or urine that are meant to identify the presence of and/or measure the 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 whichSte. Genevieve County, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests simply by getting behind the wheel. A smart DUI attorney near you will counsel you to know that you can refuse to submit to a chemical test like a breathalyzer, 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 exemplary Ste. Genevieve County, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your DUI attorney near Ste. Genevieve County, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to examine if the breathalyzer or other test was administered as according to law and whether it should or should not be admissible in court.
- Field Sobriety Tests
Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that are meant to gauge whether you are intoxicated 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 Ste. Genevieve County, MO and all over the United States.
- Walk and turn – walk heel to toe in a straight line for nine steps, turn around and repeat in the opposite direction
- 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
- 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 a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, contact a DUI attorney near you in Ste. Genevieve County, MO as soon as possible. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Ste. Genevieve County, MO will build a defense to your case or make sure any illegally obtained evidence is thrown out and not used against you in Missouri court.
Ste. Genevieve County Resources
Below are quick links to important websites that may assist you with your legal matters in Ste. Genevieve County and Missouri.
Traffic Checkpoints in Ste. Genevieve County, MO
A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used as a way to randomly check 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 debated banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.
Police departments in Ste. Genevieve County and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they used to, but it is still wise to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. When it doubt, speak 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:
- 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
- visibly associated with law enforcement
Perhaps most importantly, there must be a logical 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 are going through a checkpoint in Ste. Genevieve County, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our determined Ste. Genevieve County, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to us online to discuss your case with a kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.
Get the best quality criminal defense available in Ste. Genevieve County, MO through Combs Waterkotte. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been accused of driving under the influence in Ste. Genevieve County or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Ste. Genevieve County, MO defense lawyers can help you with a number of other kinds of cases, including:
Learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Ste. Genevieve County, MO can defend you.
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Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in Ste. Genevieve County, MO | Combs Waterkotte
There is no time to waste. If you were stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Ste. Genevieve 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. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Ste. Genevieve County, MO will defend you. Contact our Ste. Genevieve County, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

