Damico & Stockstill, Attorneys at Law

80 Years Of Combined Trial Experience

A drunk driving conviction is never guaranteed

On Behalf of | Apr 17, 2016 | Drunk Driving, Firm News |

Some people are surprised by how serious a drunk driving conviction actually is. Most view drunk driving as a minor crime, and in some cases they consider it victimless, but the law disagrees. Because the dangers of drunk driving can lead to serious or fatal injury for other drivers on the road, drunk driving convictions can result in significant penalties, including license suspension and jail time. That is why you should always take your legal defense seriously, even if the odds are against you.

As far as crimes go, drunk driving is sometimes considered to be a fairly open-and-shut case. Obviously, police never arrest someone that they believe is innocent, but it is especially true in DUI cases that if a police officer arrests a person for drunk driving, the officer believes that he or she will see a conviction follow. This is largely because officers sometimes pull over dozens of people a day for all kinds of traffic violations or driving mistakes without making arrests. So if an officer pulls someone over and arrests that person for drunk driving, you can be sure the officer is confident in his or her assessment.

Perhaps even more damning is the fact that most drunk driving arrests follow field sobriety tests that officers administer to suspects. Logic would lead one to conclude that if a person fails a sobriety test administered by a police officer, and if the officer then arrests the person, then that person must have been drunk, right? Wrong.

Many factors and variables might affect a sobriety test, and failure to pass a sobriety test does not guarantee intoxication. Louisiana residents are encouraged to remember that there is always room for legal defense. Please visit our web page to learn how we can help you defend yourself against drunk driving charges. We can help you build a defense that might see your charges reduced or even dropped.

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