Osage County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Osage County, MO

DUI attorney near me in Osage County, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Osage County is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the details of your 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 has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Osage County and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, an astute Osage County, MO DUI attorney near you will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the charges dropped, 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 the entire legal process for your Osage County, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation when you have been accused of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Osage County, MO?

Though people often refer to it as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the official nomenclature used in Missouri legislation is a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 lay forth what constitutes the crime of driving while intoxicated and lays forth the rules Missouri courts must follow to sentence and punish DWI offenders, 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, you deserve a DUI attorney near Osage County, MO to fight for your freedom 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. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, and that covers more than just driving under the influence of alcohol. While many DWI arrests in Missouri are done based on accusations of driving drunk, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while impaired by another mind-altering drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by drugs 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 while intoxicated in Missouri, speak to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Osage 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 Osage County, MO

It is critical that you 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 Osage County, MO DUI attorney near you and understand your rights and what to do if you are ever stopped when operating a vehicle in Missouri. And if you have already gone through a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Osage County, MO defense attorneys will shield you from injustice in court.

Learn the rules and procedure for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Osage County, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Osage County, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, traveling the wrong way down a road and other erratic behaviors such as driving extremely slow or fast, swerving or alternating between braking and accelerating.

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 more stringent burden of probable cause before they can place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you believe that you were improperly stopped or arrested for your Osage County, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving under the influence, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Osage County, MO who can help get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can move forward in your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Osage County, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer due to suspected intoxicated driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are under the influence. There are two types of tests Osage County, MO police officers typically use in traffic stops for driving under the influence: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

1. Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)

   In Osage County, MO stops for DUIs, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. There are a few different types of chemical tests using blood, breath, saliva or urine that check for the presence and concentration of various substances including alcohol.

   Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, via whichOsage County, 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 a breathalyzer, but refusal can carry a criminal charge in itself. Still, you cannot be physically forced to take the test.

   If you do take a breathalyzer test, speak to an exemplary Osage County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Osage County, MO, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to determine if the breathalyzer or other test was performed legally 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 determine whether you are impaired through a series of demonstrative tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has defined three standardized field tests that police officers can use to test drivers in Osage County, MO and throughout 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 a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, contact a DUI attorney near you in Osage County, MO as soon as possible. If you have already completed a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Osage County, MO will build an insurmountable defense to your case or make sure any illegally obtained evidence is thrown out and not used against you in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Osage County, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used to systematically screen 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 discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Checkpoints in Osage County and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but it is still prudent to educate yourself on 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 closely related to public safety. DUI checkpoints should be:

• advertised 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
• clearly associated with law enforcement

Perhaps most importantly, there must be a logical reason for implementing 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 Osage County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our experienced Osage County, MO attorneys will fearlessly defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to 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 Osage 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 Osage County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Osage County, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other kinds of cases, including:

• Gun Crime Lawyer
• Child Abuse & Neglect Lawyer
• Homicide Lawyer
• Assault Lawyer
• Rape Defense Lawyer
• Sex Offense Lawyers
• DWI Attorney
• Crime Defense Lawyers
• Domestic Violence Defense Attorneys
• Child Pornography Defense Lawyer

Learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Osage 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 Osage County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Osage County, 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 Osage County, MO can defend you. Contact our Osage County, MO defense law firm right away to discuss your rights, your case and your future.