Rock Port, MO

DUI Attorney Near Me Rock Port, MO

DUI attorney near me in Rock Port, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Rock Port is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Whatever 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 Rock Port and Missouri. Depending on your unique situation, a savvy Rock Port, 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, fight the conviction in a trial 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 the entire legal process for your Rock Port, 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 Rock Port, 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 courts. Missouri Revised Statute §577.010 and §577.012 define 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 Rock Port, MO who will stand up on your behalf and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

A police officer may arrest someone for a DWI in Missouri for a number of reasons. The law prohibits 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 driving a vehicle while under the influence of another psychoactive drug.

The same Missouri law prohibits driving while intoxicated by intoxicating 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 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 under the influence in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you as soon as possible. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Rock Port-based DUI attorney near you, Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is accessible, 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 Rock Port, MO

It is critical that you know your rights lest you are stopped for driving under the influence. Speak to an experienced Rock Port, MO DUI attorney near you with Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP to understand 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 outstanding Rock Port, MO defense law firm will shield you from injustice in court.

Know the rules and what to expect for regular traffic stops, sobriety tests and checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Rock Port, MO

A Missouri officer of the law must have reasonable suspicion that you are driving drunk in order to pull an individual over in Rock Port, MO. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion would be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, traveling the wrong way down a road and other erratic driving behaviors such as inconsistencies in speed, 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 meet the higher burden of probable cause in order to actually arrest you for a DWI.

If you believe that you were improperly stopped for or accused of your Rock Port, 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 then obtained evidence that you were driving drunk, a DUI attorney near Rock Port, MO will fight to get the prosecutor to dismiss your case so you can move forward in your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Rock Port, 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 Rock Port, 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 Rock Port, MO stops for DUIs, they often turn to chemical tests to prove that the driver had ingested drugs or alcohol. Chemical tests include tests of the blood, breath, saliva or urine that check for the presence and concentration of various substances including alcohol.

   Each state has its own laws and many, including Missouri have in place an implied consent law, via which, as a Rock Port, MO driver or driver anywhere in Missouri, you automatically agree to submit to chemical sobriety tests just by driving a vehicle. A smart DUI attorney near you will tell you that you can refuse 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 take the test.

   If you already did a breathalyzer test, speak to an exemplary Rock Port, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your Rock Port, MO DUI attorney near you, Combs Waterkotte will investigate and scrutinize the details of your test to conclude whether 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 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 Rock Port, 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 you are stopped and asked to perform field sobriety tests, call a DUI attorney near you in Rock Port, MO immediately. If you have already agreed to and participated in a field test and have been arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your DUI attorney in Rock Port, MO will build an impenetrable 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 Rock Port, MO

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

Police departments in Rock Port and around Missouri do not use checkpoints as heavily as they did in the past, but it is still prudent to familiarize yourself with your rights and the rules regulating checkpoints. If you are not sure, speak 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 public 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

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 Rock Port, MO, speak to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you at (314) 900-HELP. Our skilled Rock Port, MO attorneys will fearlessly defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Reach out to us online to review your situation 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 Rock Port, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will protect you against the court and navigate the legal process when you have been charged with driving under the influence in Rock Port or anywhere in Missouri. In addition, our top Rock Port, 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
• Criminal Lawyer

Learn more about different kinds of DUI cases in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Rock Port, 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 Rock Port, MO | Combs Waterkotte

There is no time to waste. If you have been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Rock Port, MO, find a DUI attorney near you whom you can trust. 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 Rock Port, MO can defend you. Contact our Rock Port, MO defense law firm now to discuss your rights, your case and your future.