Dunklin County, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Dunklin County, MO

DUI attorney near me in Dunklin County, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Dunklin County is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Whatever the circumstances, when you are criminally charged 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 Dunklin County and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, an astute DUI attorney near Dunklin County, MO will make the best of your situation. They may be able to get the prosecutor to drop the charges, 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. Their principle responsibility is to use the law to your benefit and guide you through all legal proceedings for your Dunklin County, MO DUI case. For dedicated, aggressive defense against injustice 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 Dunklin County, MO?

Commonly referred to as a DUI (which stands for driving under the influence, the offense is actually referred to a DWI (driving while intoxicated) in Missouri civil and criminal law. Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 outline what constitutes the crime of driving under the influence and lays forth the guidelines 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. After your Missouri DWI arrest, focus on finding a DUI attorney near Dunklin County, MO to fight for your freedom and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a variety of reasons. Under Missouri law, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, including but not limited to driving under the influence of alcohol. Though DWI arrests are often drunk driving allegations, you can also be arrested for a DWI on suspicion of driving a vehicle while under the influence of some kind of mind-altering drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while impared by drugs 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 a DWI in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a skilled Dunklin County-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is accessible, experienced and skilled. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.

DUI Stops and Arrests in Dunklin County, MO

It is critical that you know your rights in the event that you are stopped for driving under the influence. Speak to an experienced Dunklin County, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to understand your rights and what you should 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 Dunklin County, MO defense attorneys will protect your rights and freedoms.

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

DUI Traffic Stops in Dunklin County, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Dunklin County, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. For a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be things like splitting the lane, going the wrong way down a road and any other driving behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, 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 satisfy the higher burden of probable cause in order to actually place you under arrest for a DWI.

If you feel that you were improperly stopped for or accused of your Dunklin County, MO DWI, reach out to a DUI attorney near you at your earliest opportunity. 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 Dunklin County, MO can help get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can move on with your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Dunklin County, MO

If a law officer stops you under suspicion of drunk or drugged driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are under the influence. There are two types of tests Dunklin 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 Dunklin County, MO stops for drunk driving or driving under the influence, they often turn to chemical tests to collect evidence that the driver was intoxicated at the time of the stop. 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 what is known as an implied consent law, pursuant to which, as a Dunklin County, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically consent to submit to chemical sobriety tests just by driving a vehicle. A good DUI attorney near you will tell you 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 produce a sample.

   If you already did a breathalyzer test, speak to an exemplary Dunklin County, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your Dunklin County, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to determine if the breathalyzer or other test was performed 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 attempt to determine whether you are impaired by asking the driver to perform motor tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has specified three standardized field tests police officers subject drivers to in Dunklin 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

   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 Dunklin County, MO as soon as you can. If you already agreed to and participated in a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Dunklin County, MO DUI attorney will build an insurmountable defense to your case or may even be able to suppress the field test evidence if they do not meet the rules of evidence in Missouri court.

Traffic Checkpoints in Dunklin County, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used as a way to systematically screen 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. Lawmakers in Missouri have explored banning sobriety checkpoints, but curent Missouri law still allows police to use them.

Checkpoints in Dunklin County and throughout Missouri are not as prevalent as they once were, but it is still wise to educate yourself on your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. When it doubt, call 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 directly related to roadway safety. A lawful DUI checkpoint is:

• 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 legitimate 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 Dunklin County, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our determined Dunklin 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 Dunklin County, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and defend you when you have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Dunklin County or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Dunklin County, MO defense lawyers can help you with a wide range of other kinds of cases, including:

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

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

• DWI/DUI Lawyer in St. Louis
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• 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 Dunklin County, MO | Combs Waterkotte

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