St. Charles County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me St. Charles County, MO

DUI attorney near me in St. Charles County, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in St. Charles County, MO is a serious matter. Whatever the circumstances, when you are criminally charged 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 St. Charles County and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, an astute DUI attorney near St. Charles County, MO may be able to get the charges dropped, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, lead your case to trial to fight the conviction or negotiate a lesser punishment through a plea bargain. Their principle responsibility is to use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your St. Charles County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after being arrested of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in St. Charles County, MO?

Though many people refer to it as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, Missouri courts actually call the offense a DWI (driving while intoxicated). Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 lay forth the definition of the crime of driving while intoxicated and specifies the rules 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. If you have been arrested in Missouri for a DWI, you may need a DUI attorney near St. Charles County, MO who will stand up on your behalf and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a long list of reasons. The law outlaws driving while intoxicated — not explicitly for driving under the influence of alcohol. Though many DWI arrests in Missouri are done based on drunk driving allegations, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly driving a vehicle while impaired by another mind-altering drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while intoxicated by drugs or substances that impair skills necessary to driving including motor skills, reaction time and decision making. That means that you can be subject to arrest if a police officer believes 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, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled St. Charles County-based DUI attorney near you. For a trustworthy DUI attorney near you, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in St. Charles County, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights lest you are pulled over for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Speak to an experienced St. Charles County, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to understand your rights and what you should do if an officer ever stops you while you are operating a vehicle in Missouri. And if you were already subjected to being pulled over and arrested for intoxicated driving, our outstanding St. Charles County, MO defense lawyers will fight for your freedom and justice.

Find out about the rules and procedure for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in St. Charles County, MO

A Missouri officer of the law must have reasonable suspicion that you are driving drunk in order to pull an individual over in St. Charles County, MO. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be things like drifting out of lane, going on a road going in the wrong direction and other erratic driving behaviors such as driving extremely slow or fast, swerving or stopping and going.

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 arrest you for a DWI.

If you suspect that you were improperly stopped for or accused of your St. Charles County, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you right away. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they then obtained evidence that you were driving under the influence, turn to a DUI attorney near you in St. Charles County, MO who can fight to get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can move on with your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in St. Charles County, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer under suspicion of drunk or drugged driving, they will likely try to get you to do a test to prove that you are under the influence. When it comes to roadside tests used by St. Charles County, MO police officers to determine intoxication, there are two primary types they may utilize: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

1. Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)

   When police officers stop drivers in St. Charles County MO for DUIs, they often turn to chemical tests to collect evidence 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.

   Like most US states, Missouri has what is known as an implied consent law, pursuant to whichSt. Charles County, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to participate in chemical sobriety tests just by getting behind the wheel. A smart DUI attorney near you will tell you that you can refuse to a breathalyzer or other chemical test, 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 St. Charles County, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near St. Charles County, MO, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to determine whether the breathalyzer or other test was performed legally 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 determine whether you are intoxicated by asking the driver to perform motor tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has spelled out three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in St. Charles 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 you are stopped and asked to perform field sobriety tests, contact a DUI attorney near you in St. Charles County, MO as soon as possible. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in St. Charles County, MO will build a 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 St. Charles County, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used to randomly check drivers for behaviors like driving under the influence. There are federal laws that regulate the carriage of DUI checkpoints, but each state has its own rules and some prohibit the use of checkpoints. Lawmakers in Missouri have explored banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows their use.

Checkpoints in St. Charles County and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. If you are not sure, turn 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. 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
• visibly associated with law enforcement

In addition, there must be a logical reason for implementing the checkpoint related to public safety, usually because the area has an abnormally high rate of drunk driving accidents.

If you are going through a checkpoint in St. Charles County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our determined St. Charles County, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to discuss 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 St. Charles County, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in St. Charles County or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of St. Charles 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

Click below to learn more about different kinds of DUI charges in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in St. Charles County, MO can defend 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

Hire a DUI Attorney Near Me in St. Charles County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do not waste any time. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near St. Charles County, 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. When your freedom and future are at risk a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in St. Charles County, MO can protect you. Contact our St. Charles County, MO defense law firm right away to discuss your rights, your case and your future.