Lake St. Louis, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Lake St. Louis, MO

DUI attorney near me in Lake St. Louis, MO. Being arrested for driving under the influence in Lake St. Louis, 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 quality legal representation from an attorney who has successfully defended against DUI convictions in Lake St. Louis and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, a savvy Lake St. Louis, MO DUI attorney near you will make the best of your situation. They 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. Their principle responsibility is to navigate the law and the entire legal process for your Lake St. Louis, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation 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 Lake St. Louis, 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 courts. Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 lay forth what constitutes the crime of driving while intoxicated and defines the rules Missouri courts must follow to sentence and punish 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 Lake St. Louis, 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 number of reasons. The law outlaws 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 on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence of some kind of intoxicating substance.

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 you are liable 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 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 reuptable and capable Lake St. Louis-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is responsive, diligent and sharp. When you need a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust, call (314) 900-HELP.

Getting Stopped or Arrested for a DUI in Lake St. Louis, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights lest you are stopped for driving intoxicated. Speak to an experienced Lake St. Louis, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to learn about 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 driving drunk or high, our incredible Lake St. Louis, MO defense law firm will protect your rights and freedoms.

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

DUI Traffic Stops in Lake St. Louis, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Lake St. Louis, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, going on a road going in the wrong direction and other erratic behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, 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 meet the higher burden of probable cause before they can arrest you for a DWI.

If you suspect that you were wrongly stopped for or accused of your Lake St. Louis, 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 then obtained evidence that you were driving intoxicated, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Lake St. Louis, MO who 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 Lake St. Louis, MO

If you are pulled over by an officer due to suspected inhebriated driving, they will want to obtain proof to show that you are intoxicated. There are two types of tests Lake St. Louis, 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 Lake St. Louis, MO stops for driving while intoxicated, chemical tests are often used as evidence to collect evidence that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. There are a few different types of chemical tests using bodily samples from blood to breath to saliva to urine that are meant to identify the presence of and/or measure the concentration of substances like alcohol.

   Like most US states, Missouri has what is known as an implied consent law, via which, as a Lake St. Louis, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically consent to participate in chemical sobriety tests simply by getting behind the wheel. A good 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, speak to an experienced Lake St. Louis, MO DUI attorney near you to discuss your defense and how they can help you. As your DUI attorney near Lake St. Louis, MO, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to examine if 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 attempt to gauge 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 Lake St. Louis, 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 a police officer stops you and asks you to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Lake St. Louis, MO as soon as you can. If you have already agreed to and performed a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Lake St. Louis, 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 Lake St. Louis, 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 discussed banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Police departments in Lake St. Louis and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but it is still wise to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules checkpoints must follow. When it doubt, 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 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
• visibly associated with law enforcement

Perhaps most importantly, there must be a legitimate reason for carrying out 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 approach a checkpoint in Lake St. Louis, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our determined Lake St. Louis, 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 kind and cunning DUI attorney near you today.

Through Combs Waterkotte, you have access to some of the best criminal defense services in the Lake St. Louis, 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 of alcohol or drugs in Lake St. Louis or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Lake St. Louis, MO attorneys have expertise in a wide range of other case types, 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
• Child Pornography Defense Lawyer

Click below to learn more about the different DUI charges in Missouri and what the DUI attorneys near you with Combs Waterkotte near Lake St. Louis, MO can do to help 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

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Lake St. Louis, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Lake St. Louis, MO, you need to hire 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. Your future and freedom are on the line, and a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you in Lake St. Louis, MO will defend you. Contact our Lake St. Louis, MO defense law firm right away to discuss your rights, your case and your future.