Elmer McDuffy: Can You Beat A DUI With A Public Defender?

Sure, but why risk it? You may lose and end up in jail for a long time.

If you just received your first DUI then it is imperative that you do not sit back and expect to get a break from the legal system. You must take action and equip yourself with all possibilities on how you can beat your first DUI and dismiss all charges in court. There are too many times that first DUI cases that have gone horribly wrong for innocent first time offenders who simply had one drink over a state limit. Finding out what you’re up against is the key to beating your first DUI.

Beware of a lot attorneys who will quickly get you an easy plea bargain on your first DUI charge. You will quickly learn that you have wasted over 5 thousand dollars on an expensive lawyer that gets you supervision on your first DUI arrest. A public defender can get you supervision! That is why your ability to equip yourself with all ways to beat your first DUI is crucial. The best possible outcome on your situation is a dismissal in court. Also beware that you will have a separate license suspension issued too from your first DUI arrest. Even if you blew well over the legal limit there is still plenty of hope for you to minimize or dismiss all DUI penalties.

Did you know that a first DUI conviction and even DUI supervision will show up on your record? Many employers will not even consider employment for anyone who has a DUI on their record. The bottom line is you must fight to get these charges dropped and get your life back on track. Most importantly you must learn from your mistake and move forward without getting slammed by extreme DUI penalties.

If you have recently been arrested and accused of driving under the influence, you are facing a dilemma. That is, you might not be able to decide whether to go with a public defender or an experienced DUI attorney. When you’re arrested, you are read your rights. These include the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. However, the attorney you get in court isn’t always the best available. On the other hand, an experienced attorney is going to be expensive. This is a hard decision to make, but the following tips should help you get through this difficult time.

Public Defenders

A public defender is an actual attorney that is employed by the government to represent the accused who can’t afford their own attorney. So don’t automatically assume that you’re going to get a dud when you’re assigned to a public defender. However, you must understand that most courts have an influx of cases on a regular basis. That means one public defender might have several cases going on at one time. That means he or she has the potential to be stretched too thin or things about your case could be forgotten. So that’s something to think about if you are thinking about accepting the public defender for your counsel in your DUI case.

Private DUI Defense Lawyers

When you select a private DUI attorney, the motivation and attitude is often different. Private attorneys are inherently hungrier for wins in the courtroom and they’re often very crafty. You will want to choose a private attorney with a lot of experience and a great track record so that you can be sure he or she knows their way around a court room. Private lawyers go into great detail about how to get their clients off the hook. That’s because this is their livelihood. A public defender is an employee while a private attorney is self-employed. His or her track record will make or break their business. For that reason, you may be getting a better deal when you go with a private attorney in these cases.

Get Money If You Don’t Have Any

This all being said, it all comes down to what you can afford. When you go with a public defender, you aren’t footing the cost. The tax payers are. But when you choose a private DUI attorney, you are footing the entire cost. And that cost could be very expensive, depending on who you choose. A lawyer with a solid track record and a well-known name can charge astronomical prices because people will pay it. DUI cases are that serious.
If you have been arrested for DUI or DWI, it is obviously cause for concern–but not for despair. By hiring a quality defense lawyer who can protect your rights, there are a host of ways your case may be defendable. That’s why it would be a good idea to consider hiring one of America’s Top DUI and DWI Defense Attorneys now. Here’s a few ways our lawyers may be able to win your case. Even if your case involves a drug, drugs, medicine or alcohol, they will help.

ILLEGAL STOP OF PERSON OR VEHICLE – a driver cannot be stopped unless the officer has a reasonable and articulate basis to believe that a traffic law or other law has been violated. Similarly, a person cannot be seized unless a violation has occurred.

WEAVING INSIDE THE LANES IS NOT ILLEGAL – weaving without crossing any lines is not a violation of the law, and a vehicle cannot be stopped for that reason.

ANONYMOUS REPORT OF DRUNK DRIVING – a car cannot be stopped simply because an anonymous citizen reported that the driver was drunk.

STANDARD FIELD SOBRIETY TESTING IS INACCURATE – in healthy individuals, the one-leg stand test is only 65% accurate, and the walk-and-turn test is only 68% accurate in determining if a person is under the influence. Those persons with injuries, medical conditions, 50 pounds or greater overweight, and 65 years or older cannot be validly judged by these tests.

NON-STANDARDIZED FIELD TESTS ARE INVALID – neither the Federal Government (NHTSA) nor medical science considers touching your finger to your nose, or saying the alphabet, or counting backward, as valid sobriety tests.

BREATH TESTING IS INACCURATE – virtually all experts concede that one breath test alone is unreliable. Breath testing is subject to various inaccuracies, including a variance as much s +/- 12.5%, non-specificity for ethanol, etc.

BOOKING ROOM VIDEOS – Many police stations videotape suspects at the police station, where their speech is clear and their balance is perfect, in spite of police testimony to the contrary.

IN-SQUAD VIDEOS – more and more often, the suspect’s driving and performance on field tests is being recorded; often contradicting police testimony.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE SPEEDY TRIAL – If a client is not provided with a trial within a certain period of time, which varies between states, through delays of the court or prosecutor, the charges must be dismissed.

POLICE BLOOD TEST INACCURATE – Many times, police blood testing fails to follow prescribed rules of testing, analysis, or preservation recommendations.

HOSPITAL BLOOD TEST INACCURATE – Hospital blood tests overestimate a person’s true level by as much as 25% in healthy, uninjured individuals, and are not statistically reliable in severely injured persons.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR UNLICENSED – Most states require a Breath Test Operator to possess a valid, unexpired operator’s license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATHALYZER MACHINE MALFUNCTIONS – Most states specify that if there is a malfunction or repair of the breath test instrument within a certain period of time before or after a suspect’s breath test, the results of the suspect’s test are presumed invalid.

BREATH TEST OPERATOR LICENSE EXPIRED – Most states require that a Breath Test Operator must possess an unexpired operator’s license, or the breath test result is inadmissible.

BREATH TEST DEVICE NOT APPROVED – A breath-testing instrument must be listed on the Federal List of Approved Breath Evidential Instruments and the ISP approved a list of Devices, or the results are inadmissible.

FAILURE TO PROVE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE – A defendant’s admission to driving, without more, does not prove a charge of driving under the influence.

INDEPENDENT WITNESSES – Oftentimes, independent witnesses to accidents, bartenders, hospital personnel and others can provide crucial evidence of the defendant’s sobriety.

FAILURE TO MIRANDIZE – Prosecutors may not use as evidence the statements of a defendant in custody for a DUI when the police have failed to properly issue Miranda Warnings.

FIELD SOBRIETY TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED – According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, improperly administered field tests are not valid evidence of intoxication.

OFFICER’S PRIOR DISCIPLINARY RECORD – A police officer’s previous disciplinary record can be used to attack the officer’s credibility.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST INADMISSIBLE – Most states prohibit the use of portable breath testing results as evidence at trial in a DUI case.

PORTABLE BREATH TEST IMPROPERLY ADMINISTERED – The manufacturers of portable breath testing devices require a minimum of two tests to consider the results evidential in nature.

FAILURE TO CONDUCT OBSERVATION PERIOD – Most states require that a driver be observed continuously for a minimum period, such as twenty minutes, prior to a breath test in order for the results to be considered admissible and valid.

EXPERT WITNESSES – Expert witnesses are available to review the validity of breath tests, blood tests, and field sobriety tests.

MEDICAL AND HEALTH PROBLEMS – Medical problems with legs, arms, neck, back, and eyes can affect the results of field sobriety tests. Further, other medical conditions can also affect the validity of breath test results.

BAD WEATHER – Weather reports establishing high winds, low visibility, and other conditions are available to explain poor driving or poor balance.

LACK OF PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST – A police officer must have specific and articulate facts to support any arrest for DUI, or the suspension will be reversed and the evidence suppressed at trial.

ILLEGAL SEARCH – The police are prohibited from searching a person or the automobile for a minor traffic offense, and may not search a car without a driver’s consent or probable cause. Any evidence illegally obtained is not admissible in court.

PRIOR INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS – Any statement made by a police officer, verbally, in police reports, or at previous court proceedings may be used to attack that officer’s credibility.

POST-DRIVING ABSORPTION OF ALCOHOL – The prosecutor must prove the blood or breath alcohol at the time of driving. Recent consumption of alcohol just prior to driving will cause the test results to be higher than what the true level was when the person was operating the automobile.

INTERFERING SUBSTANCES – Many items contain forms of alcohol, which may cause false results, such as asthma spray, cough drops, paints, fingernail polish. These items can cause breath results to be invalid.

BREATH MACHINE NOT PROPERLY OPERATED – The manufacturers of breath testing devices have specified protocols, which must be followed for a breath result to be valid. Failure to follow these requirements will result in improper readings.

FAILURES TO PRODUCE DISPATCH TAPES – Most stops of vehicles are recorded on dispatch tapes, as well as recording police communications regarding an arrest of an individual. Failure to preserve such tapes upon request can cause all evidence, which could have been recorded to be suppressed.

MISLEADING STATEMENTS BY POLICE OFFICERS – Any misleading statement by the police regarding the consequences of taking (or refusing) a blood, breath, or urine test will cause the suspension to be reversed and removed from the driver’s record.

STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS – A misdemeanor charge of DUI must be filed within a certain period of time (which varies between states) of the date of offense, or the charges will be dismissed outright.

PRIVATE PROPERTY – A person who has not driven the car on a public highway cannot be suspended for drunk driving.

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE EXPERTS – The failure of the prosecutor to disclose the state’s expert(s) will cause those witnesses to be barred from testifying against the defendant.

LACTATE RINGERS – When hospital staff use lactate ringers during the treatment of a patient, the hospital blood serum results will report falsely elevated, and therefore invalid, readings.

FAILURE TO RECORD CERTIFICATION TESTS – the failure to include the value of the simulator solution used to test breath machines will cause the breath test results to be inadmissible in court against the driver.

FORCED BLOOD DRAWS – In some states, the police may not take a blood test against the driver’s consent where there has not been an injury involved, or the result is inadmissible.

Most people believe all police have noble intentions but on first DUI victims, they are sometimes much too harsh and use scare tactics on innocent drivers. Your immediate action is required in order to challenge all aspects of the arrest.