DUI Attorney Near Me Poplar Bluff, MO

DUI attorney near me in Poplar Bluff, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Poplar Bluff, MO is a serious matter. Whatever the situation, when you are facing a conviction for driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, a you need the best legal representation available to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve a talented defense attorney who knows their way around DUI cases in Poplar Bluff and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, a sharp Poplar Bluff, 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, fight the conviction in a trial or work with the prosecutor to negotiate a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your Poplar Bluff, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation when you have been arrested of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Poplar Bluff, MO?

Though many people 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 define the definition of the crime of driving under the influence and establishes the law for sentencing and punishments for those convicted of a DWI for operating a vehicle with a BAC (blood alcohol content) over the legal limit or while otherwise intoxicated. If you have been arrested in Missouri for a DWI, you deserve a DUI attorney near Poplar Bluff, MO who will stand up on your behalf and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

A person can be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a long list of reasons. The law prohibits driving while intoxicated — not explicitly for driving under the influence of alcohol. While DWI arrests are often accusations of driving drunk, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while impaired by some kind of mind-altering drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while impared by intoxicating substances 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 due to ingesting marijuana or even narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you or a family member have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, reach out to a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Poplar Bluff-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 Poplar Bluff, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are stopped for driving under the influence. Call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Poplar Bluff, MO DUI attorney near you and learn about your rights and what steps to take if you are ever stopped when driving in Missouri. And if you were already subjected to a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our incredible Poplar Bluff, MO defense lawyers will fight for your freedom and justice.

Know the rules and what to expect for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Poplar Bluff, MO

A Missouri officer of the law must have reasonable suspicion that you are driving drunk in order to pull an individual over in Poplar Bluff, MO. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, driving the wrong way down a road and any other behaviors such as driving extremely slow or fast, swerving or braking.

A police officer must have reasonable suspicion that you were driving under the influence in order to stop you, and are required to meet the more stringent burden of probable cause in order to actually place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you believe that you were unlawfully stopped or arrested for your Poplar Bluff, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you right away. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving intoxicated, a DUI attorney near Poplar Bluff, MO can help get your case dismissed and put to rest so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Poplar Bluff, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer under suspicion of intoxicated driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are under the influence. There are two types of tests Poplar Bluff, 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 Poplar Bluff, MO stops for drunk driving or driving under the influence, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. Chemical tests include tests of the bodily samples from blood to breath to saliva to 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 in place an implied consent law, via which, as a Poplar Bluff, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically consent to participate in chemical sobriety tests just by driving a vehicle. 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, you cannot be physically forced to take the test.

   If you do take a breathalyzer test, consult an exemplary Poplar Bluff, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your Poplar Bluff, MO DUI attorney near you, 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 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 gauge whether you are impaired by asking the driver to perform motor tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has defined three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Poplar Bluff, 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

   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 Poplar Bluff, MO as soon as possible. If you already agreed to and participated in a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Poplar Bluff, MO 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 Poplar Bluff, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway as a way to randomly check drivers for driving under the influence. There are federal laws allowing but regulating the carriage of DUI checkpoints, but each state has its own rules and some prohibit the use of checkpoints. Missouri lawmakers have entertained banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Checkpoints in Poplar Bluff and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but it is still prudent to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, 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 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
• clearly associated with law enforcement

Perhaps most importantly, there must be a logical reason for carrying out the checkpoint related to public safety, usually because the area has an abnormally high rate of drunk driving accidents.

If you find yourself at a checkpoint in Poplar Bluff, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our experienced Poplar Bluff, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to discuss your case with a compassionate and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Get the best quality criminal defense available in Poplar Bluff, MO through Combs Waterkotte. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Poplar Bluff or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Poplar Bluff, MO attorneys have expertise in a number of other case types, including:

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

Click below to learn more about the different DUI cases in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Poplar Bluff, MO can defend you.

• DWI/DUI Lawyer in St. Louis
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• Felony DWI Lawyer in St. Louis
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• Other Criminal Defense Cases

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Poplar Bluff, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Poplar Bluff, MO, find a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. Being arrested and convicted of a DWI or similar charge in Missouri is a serious matter that can carry significant consequences. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Poplar Bluff, MO can protect you. Contact our Poplar Bluff, MO defense law firm right away to discuss your rights, your case and your future.