DUI Attorney Near Me Montgomery City, MO

DUI attorney near me in Montgomery City, MO. No one enjoys being arrested, but it is important to understand that driving under the influence in Montgomery City is treated as a serious offense in Missouri court. Regardless of the details of your situation, when you are criminally charged 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 Montgomery City and Missouri. Depending on the circumstances, an astute Montgomery City, 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, 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 Montgomery City, MO DUI case. For razor-sharp representation after being arrested of driving under the influence, call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP.

What is a DUI in Montgomery City, 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 define the definition of the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and defines the guidelines 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, focus on finding a DUI attorney near Montgomery City, MO who will stand up on your behalf and protect you from unfair treatment by Missouri courts.

You could be arrested for a DWI in Missouri for a long list 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 operating a vehicle while under the influence of some kind of psychoactive drug.

The DWI law in Missouri criminalizes not only drinking and driving, but also driving while impared by psychoactive substances 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 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 a DWI in Missouri, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. Chris Combs of Combs Waterkotte is a reuptable and capable Montgomery City-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 Montgomery City, MO

You owe it to yourself to know your rights in the event that you are stopped for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Call Combs Waterkotte at (314) 900-HELP immediately to speak to a leading Montgomery City, MO DUI attorney near you and understand your rights and what you should do if an officer ever stops you while you are driving in Missouri. And if you have already gone through a traffic stop and were arrested for driving drunk or high, our unstoppable Montgomery City, MO defense lawyers will shield you from injustice in court.

Find out about the rules and what to expect for Missouri traffic stops, sobriety tests and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Traffic Stops in Montgomery City, MO

In order to pull someone over, a Montgomery City, MO or any Missouri police officer must have reasonable suspicion. In the case of a DWI, reasonable suspicion could be represented by behaviors like like splitting the lane, going the wrong way down a road and any other 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 meet the higher burden of probable cause in order to actually arrest you for a DWI.

If you feel that you were wrongly stopped or arrested for your Montgomery City, MO DWI, contact a DUI attorney near you right away. If you were stopped by an officer without giving them reasonable suspicion, even if they have proof that you were driving under the influence, turn to a DUI attorney near you in Montgomery City, MO who will fight to get your case dismissed and put to rest so you can move on with your life.

Sobriety Tests for DUIs in Montgomery City, 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 intoxicated. When it comes to roadside tests used by Montgomery City, MO police officers to determine intoxication, there are two primary types they may utilize: field sobriety tests and chemical tests.

Chemical Tests (ie. a breathalizer)
When police officers stop drivers in Montgomery City MO for drunk driving or driving under the influence, chemical tests are often used as evidence to prove 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.

Like most US states, Missouri has in place an implied consent law, via whichMontgomery City, MO and other Missouri drivers automatically agree to participate in chemical sobriety tests simply by getting behind the wheel. A good DUI attorney near you will counsel you to know that you can refuse to submit to a breathalyzer or other chemical test, but refusal can carry a criminal charge in itself. Still, the police cannot physically force you to produce a sample.

If you already did a breathalyzer test, consult an experienced Montgomery City, MO DUI attorney near you to figure out your options and get the best quality defense in your case. As your DUI attorney near Montgomery City, MO, Combs Waterkotte will obtain discovery documents and comb through them to examine if the breathalyzer or other test was administered legally and whether it is or is not admissible in court.
Field Sobriety Tests
Field tests during a DWI traffic stop are subjective tests that are meant to determine whether you are intoxicated through a series of demonstrative tasks. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has defined three standardized field tests that police officers can use to test drivers in Montgomery City, 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 Montgomery City, MO as soon as possible. If you already completed a field test and were then arrested for a DUI in Missouri, your Montgomery City, MO DUI attorney will design an insurmountable 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 Montgomery City, MO

A checkpoint is a temporary roadblock used 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 debated banning sobriety checkpoints, but they are currently still allowed by Missouri law.

Checkpoints in Montgomery City 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, 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. 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, 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 Montgomery City, MO, call (314) 900-HELP to talk to a Combs Waterkotte DUI attorney near you immediately. Our determined Montgomery City, MO attorneys will ferociously defend you and protect your rights in the court of law. Contact us online to discuss 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 Montgomery City, MO area. At Combs Waterkotte, a DUI attorney near you will fight for your rights and navigate the legal process when you have been accused of driving under the influence in Montgomery City or anywhere in Missouri. Our team of Montgomery City, MO attorneys have expertise in a variety of other case types, including:

Learn more about the different DUI cases in Missouri and how Combs Waterkotte’s DUI attorneys in Montgomery City, MO can defend you.

Work with a Top DUI Attorney Near Me in Montgomery City, MO | Combs Waterkotte

Do yourself a favor and act now. If you were stopped or arrested for driving under the influence near Montgomery City, 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 Montgomery City, MO will protect you. Contact our Montgomery City, MO defense law firm now to consult a lawyer about your rights, your case and your future.

Montgomery City, MO