DUI Attorney Near Me Bolivar, MO

DUI attorney near me in Bolivar, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Bolivar, MO is a serious matter. Regardless of the situation, when you are facing a conviction for driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, find an attorney you can trust to fight on your behalf and protect your future.

You deserve quality legal representation from an attorney who knows their way around DUI cases in Bolivar and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, an astute DUI attorney near Bolivar, MO may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, have the charges reduced to lesser offenses, fight the conviction in a trial or negotiate a lesser punishment through a plea bargain. Most importantly, they will navigate the law and all legal proceedings for your Bolivar, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice after 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 Bolivar, 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 outline what constitutes the crime of driving while intoxicated and defines 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, you deserve a DUI attorney near Bolivar, MO who will stand up on your behalf and help you navigate what can be an intimidating Missouri court process.

A person can be arrested 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 DWI arrests are often accusations of driving drunk, you can also be arrested for a DWI due to allegedly operating a vehicle while impaired by another psychoactive drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits 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 being high as a result of marijuana or THC use or under the influence of narcotics or pharmaceuticals like opiates.

If you were arrested for driving under the influence in Missouri, speak to a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Bolivar-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 Bolivar, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are pulled over for driving intoxicated. Call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Bolivar, MO DUI attorney near you and learn about your rights and what to do if you are ever stopped when driving in Missouri. And if you have already gone through a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our incredible Bolivar, MO defense attorneys will fight for your freedom and justice.

Become familiar with the rules and what to expect for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Bolivar, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Bolivar, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, driving on a road going in the wrong direction and any other 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 higher burden of probable cause in order to actually place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you believe that you were wrongly stopped for or accused of your Bolivar, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. If an officer stopped you without any reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving under the influence, a DUI attorney near Bolivar, MO will help get your case dismissed and put to rest so you can put this behind you and be free.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Bolivar, MO

If a law officer stops you 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 Bolivar, 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)

   When police officers stop drivers in Bolivar MO for drunk driving or driving under the influence, they often turn to chemical tests 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 check for the presence and concentration of substances like alcohol.

   Each state has its own laws and many, including Missouri have in place an implied consent law, via which, as a Bolivar, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests just by operating a vehicle. 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 do take a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced Bolivar, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your DUI attorney near Bolivar, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to examine whether the breathalyzer or other test was administered legally and whether it is or is not admissible in court.

2. Field Sobriety Tests

   Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that are designed to determine whether you are intoxicated 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 Bolivar, 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 a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Bolivar, MO immediately. If you have already completed a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Bolivar, MO DUI attorney will build a 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 Bolivar, MO

A checkpoint is a roadblock temporarily set up on a roadway as a way to randomly check drivers for behaviors like driving under the influence. Federal law allows the use of DUI checkpoints by police departments, but they must meet certain standards. Missouri legislators have discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Checkpoints in Bolivar and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but you should still familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. 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 roadway safety. DUI checkpoints should be:

• advertised 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 carrying out 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 Bolivar, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our skilled Bolivar, MO attorneys will tenaciously 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 Bolivar, MO area. A Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and provide you with an infallible defense when you have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Bolivar or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Bolivar, MO defense lawyers can help you with a wide range of other case types, including:

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

Learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Bolivar, 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 Bolivar, MO | Combs Waterkotte

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