Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were recently stopped by a police officer on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI), then you may still be in a state of shock and wonder what will happen next. Most people who are arrested and face a criminal conviction, meet with an attorney near them for advice and counsel. An attorney can review your case in hopes of identifying weak points and developing a defense strategy to help you from facing the most severe penalties. Whether you think you are guilty or not, it is still strongly recommended that you seek support from an attorney who has assisted clients in criminal cases before. 

If the officer didn’t read my rights prior to arrest, will my DWI case get dropped?

Unfortunately, not every case will get dropped if an officer forgot to read someone their rights prior to arrest. Based on state law, your rights must be read to you before you are interrogated by police. So, you have to be in actual custody or in a situation where the average person would feel they weren’t able to end the interaction with police, and an officer must be questioning you.

However, it is possible that an officer not reading you your Miranda rights could weaken the prosecution’s case against you. If the officer failed to read you your rights when they were supposed to, then your statements may be suppressed along with evidence that was gathered at the time. The best way to find out if the officer failed to go about the arrest in the correct way, is to have a criminal defense attorney evaluate your case and offer advice.

What are the factors that an attorney will evaluate during a consultatio?

In general, there are three elements that a criminal defense attorney is going to focus on when consulting with you about your arrest: whether the office had reasonable suspicion to pull you over, whether there was probable cause to perform the arrest, and the ability of the prosecution to prove you are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. 

What if I did well on the DWI field sobriety test?

Performing decently on the field sobriety test, doesn’t guarantee that you are off the hook. Most people don’t know what an officer is really looking for when having a driver go through a series of actions. Doing well on the test can help weaken the prosecution’s case against you, but it may not clear you entirely. After meeting with your DWI attorney in DC, he or she can assess whether using your results on the field sobriety test can work in your favor in court. 

What if I think I am guilty of a DWI?

Despite having feelings that you are guilty of a DWI, it is important to understand that there could be weak points or factors of your arrest that you were not privy to before. It is not advisable to go into a criminal charge proceeding without having obtained legal representation and developed a defense strategy. There can be severe long-term consequences of just pleading guilty without much of a fight. 

Thanks to The Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn, P.C. for their insight into criminal law and being arrested for a DWI.