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Oakville, MO

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Posted by Emily Herr on July 18, 2022

DUI Attorney Near Me Oakville, MO

DUI attorney near me in Oakville, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Oakville 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, a you need the best legal representation available to protect your rights and your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Oakville and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, a savvy Oakville, 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 all legal proceedings for your Oakville, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation after you have been accused of driving under the influence, speak to Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

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What is a DUI in Oakville, 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 define what constitutes the crime of driving under the influence and specifies the law 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, focus on finding a DUI attorney near Oakville, MO to fight for your freedom and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

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, including but not limited to 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 under the influence of some kind of intoxicating substance.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while intoxicated by psychoactive substances that impair skills necessary to driving including motor skills, reaction time and decision making. That means that you are liable to arrest if a police officer believes that you are impaired, including being high as a result of marijuana or THC use or under the influence of narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you or a family member have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Oakville-based DUI attorney near you. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Oakville, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are stopped for driving under the influence. Speak to an experienced Oakville, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to learn about 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 driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Oakville, MO defense law firm will fight for your freedom and justice.

Find out about the rules and what to expect for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Oakville, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Oakville, 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 drifting out of lane, going the wrong way down a road and other erratic driving behaviors such as alternating extremes in speed, 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 place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you feel that you were wrongly stopped for or accused of your Oakville, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving drunk, a DUI attorney near Oakville, MO will fight to get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can move forward in your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Oakville, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer under suspicion of 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 Oakville, 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 Oakville, MO stops for driving while intoxicated, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove that the driver was under the influence at the time of the stop. Chemical tests include tests of the blood, breath, saliva or urine that check for the presence and concentration of various substances including alcohol.

    Like most US states, Missouri has what is known as an implied consent law, pursuant to which, as a Oakville, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you 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 submit to 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 already did a breathalyzer test, consult an exemplary Oakville, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Oakville, 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.

  2. Field Sobriety Tests

    Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that are meant to gauge whether you are impaired through a series of demonstrative tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has spelled out three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Oakville, 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

    It is your right in Missouri to refuse to perform a field test. If you are stopped and asked to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Oakville, MO immediately. If you already agreed to and participated in a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Oakville, MO will build an unwavering 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 Oakville, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway to randomly check drivers for behaviors like 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. Lawmakers in Missouri have discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Police departments in Oakville and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they used to, but it is still wise to educate yourself on your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, turn to a DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP.

The police must be able to justify the use and location for a sobriety checkpoint by showing that the decisions are closely related to public safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

  • announced to the public in advance
  • organized 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

In addition, there must be a logical reason for implementing the checkpoint related to public safety, .

If you approach a checkpoint in Oakville, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our skilled Oakville, 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 compassionate and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Oakville, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and defend you when you have been arrested for driving under the influence in Oakville or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Oakville, MO attorneys have expertise in a wide range of other kinds of cases, including:

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

    Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in Oakville, MO | Combs Waterkotte

    There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Oakville, 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 Oakville, MO will protect you. Contact our Oakville, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

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