Crestview DUI Defense Lawyer

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If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI, you may want to contact the DUI lawyers in Crestview, Florida at The Alice Harris Law Firm as soon as possible. Florida’s implied consent laws grant police officers the power to suspend your driver’s license if you refuse to submit to a breath or blood test if you are stopped and believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While you have the right to refuse to breath or blood testing, your driver’s license will be suspended and your refusal to submit to a breath or blood test could be used as evidence against you to obtain a DUI conviction. When it comes to gathering evidence, and charging DUIs, police have many tools to secure a conviction. This is why you might want to speak to a DUI lawyer in Crestview, Florida as soon as possible. Our DUI attorneys can review the details of your stop, evaluate how police gathered and handled evidence, and help you understand your options under the law.

What Counts as a DUI in Florida?

Florida statute 316.193 describes DUI charges. Many people believe that police officers need to obtain a certain blood alcohol concentration to charge you with a DUI, but the reality is that you can face DUI charges if you are found to be “under the influence of any chemical substance” or any controlled substance as defined under Florida law. This includes chemical substances used in medical procedures, for example nitrous oxide. This also includes being under the influence of controlled substances including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids, including abuse of prescription opioids. A person could be arrested or charged with a DUI for drinking if their blood alcohol level or breath alcohol level is found to be 0.08 or higher.

A first-time DUI conviction can carry serious penalties and collateral consequences. You could face fines up to $1000, face possible imprisonment, or be required to attend residential or outpatient drug abuse or alcohol abuse educational programs. You could lose your driver’s license for up to one year, end up with a criminal record that can carry additional collateral consequences, and face increased insurance rates. Subsequent DUI convictions could carry higher penalties including jail time, required use of an ignition interlock device, required residential or outpatient drug abuse or alcohol abuse educational programs, and more.

If you are facing DUI charges, the DUI defense attorney in Crestview, Florida at The Alice Harris Law Firm can review the circumstances of your arrest, can review the evidence against you, and can help you understand your options and rights under the law. For example, you may have the option to take advantage of a DUI diversion program which can result in you facing lessor charges, no jail time, and receiving important assistance in preventing future DUIs. In some cases, individuals are wrongfully charged with their DUI. In this case, you may have a strong DUI defense. Contact the Crestview, Florida DUI defense attorneys at The Alice Harris Law Firm today to learn more about your options under the law.

DUI Diversion Programs in Florida 

If this is your first DUI and you meet the requirements for Florida’s DUI diversion program, you may be able to get your charges reduced to reckless driving by voluntarily completing a diversion program. Completion of Florida DUI diversion programs may require payment of fines and fees, completion of DUI school, completion of victim impact training, 10-day vehicle impoundment, and payment of police investigation and testing costs. You may also be required to submit to random urine alcohol screening during the program. If your blood or breath alcohol concentration was higher than 0.08, you could also be required to use an ignition interlock device.

If the state has strong evidence to secure a first-time DUI conviction, you might want to consider pursuing a diversion program. For many people, their first-time DUI was simply a mistake. For others, their first-time DUI is a time when they realize they need to change their relationship to alcohol or stop drinking altogether. DUI diversion programs offer ways to help individuals avoid facing the consequences of additional DUIs in the future.

If you were wrongfully accused of your DUI, a diversion program might not be the best path forward. The DUI lawyers in Crestview, Florida at The Alice Harris Law Firm can review the details of your stop and arrest and review the evidence against you. In some cases, we might be able to get charges dropped, if the state’s evidence isn’t strong enough, or if your civil rights were violated during your stop and arrest. Contact our Crestview DUI defense lawyers at The Alice Harris Law Firm today to explore your options.

DUI Defenses

A DUI defense lawyer in Crestview, Florida can help you with your DUI charges and arrest by reviewing your case and building a DUI defense strategy. The Alice Harris Law Firm has helped clients fight DUI charges by reviewing each case and determining whether evidence was legally obtained. What are some common DUI defenses? Here are a few:

• Civil Rights Violations. If police stopped you without probable cause, racially profiled you, or otherwise violated your civil rights during your stop and arrest, your DUI defense lawyer in Crestview, Florida might be able to fight to get your charges dropped or reduced. For example, you have the right to remain silent and the right to speak to a lawyer after you have been arrested. If you were denied these rights, your DUI defense lawyer in Crestview, Florida may be able to help you.
• Medical Issues. Some medical issues can result in people being wrongfully accused of a DUI. If police made mistakes when administering field sobriety tests or failed to consider your medical history, you DUI defense lawyer in Crestview, Florida may be able to help you get your charges dropped or reduced.
• Other Issues. Other DUI defenses can include issues with how police handled evidence. Problems or defects with breathalyzers. Failure to prove intent to drive (like, if, for example, you were found asleep, parked, and failed your breathalyzer test). In this case, your DUI defense attorney might be able to show that you had no intention to drive.

These are just some of the valid DUI defenses available. When it comes to fighting a DUI, you might have several options, which can include fighting the charges, pursuing a diversion program, or fighting to have your charges reduced. The DUI defense attorneys in Crestview, Florida at The Alice Harris Law Firm can review your case and help you understand the options available to you, given your unique circumstances.

 

Contact a Crestview, Florida Drunk Driving Lawyer Today

If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI, you are innocent until proven guilty. Before you take a plea deal or plead guilty, consider reaching out to the drunk driving lawyer in Crestview, Florida at The Alice Harris Law Firm today. Our drunk driving lawyer can help you explore your options and understand your rights. If you are facing drunk driving charges, your future, your reputation, and your right to drive might be on the line. Reach out to our Crestview, Florida drunk driving lawyer at The Alice Harris Law Firm today. We are available to answer our phones 24/7 and can help you navigate the criminal justice system. You don’t have to go through this alone.

 

Available 24/7 for a Free Phone Consultation

We Also Offer Meetings Via Zoom