Drunk Driving Lawyer Bloomington IL
How to Take Action After a DUI Arrest
Information From a Drunk Driving Lawyer Bloomington IL Motorists Recommend
A drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, Illinois trusts knows that being accused of driving while under the influence (DUI) is a very serious charge, with potentially expensive and harsh punishments. A drunk driving lawyer in Bloomington, IL from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols understands how severe the consequences can be for such a crime. It is possible you may face increasingly high fines in addition to prolonged jail time. We have helped many members of our community who were in this situation. Our attorneys have had tremendous success in reducing our clients’ sentences and sometimes getting their charges dropped altogether. Call us to find out how we can help you too.
Our law firm is committed to fighting for the rights of people and their freedom and we have done this for generations. We can empathize with how financially and emotionally detrimental a DUI conviction may be for our clients. We make every effort to protect our clients’ rights and their future.
Levels of DUI Offenses
- 1st – 3rd DUI Offense
- 4th DUI and Up
- DUI Felony
- DUI Aggravated
- DUI Underage Offense
- DUI with Resistance to Law Enforcement
Immediately following an arrest for a DUI charge, you may be best served by taking the following steps with your nearest DMV office. Your license to drive may be revoked which means you need to take action right away in an attempt to retain your driving privileges.
Steps to Take with Your Local DMV Office
- Request a meeting with your DMV office in attempt to keep your license intact. You have exactly 10 days after your arrest to request this hearing.
- Call your insurance company and let them know about the incident. Be open and honest and ask if it is possible to keep your insurance from being cancelled.
- Request a copy of the police report from your arrest. Make copies for you and your Bloomington drunk driving lawyer.
- Hire an attorney you trust, so you can receive trusted legal advice and guidance during the legal process.
With guidance from your drunk driving lawyer in Bloomington, IL, decide whether it is in your best interest to attempt a plea bargain or go to trial. Your attorney can make suggestions based on the details of your arrest.
Repeat offenders for DUI charges can face lengthy prison time and a substantial fine. Your attorney can help make a case to the court that you are a valued member of the community. A skilled Bloomington drunk driving lawyer from our firm has a deep understanding of how best to present your case to the judge.
Arrest Illegalities
Without having an attorney to guide you through the legal system, you may not realize there could be issues with your arrest. For example, your blood test may have been performed improperly, the breathalyzer could have been defective, or the law enforcement officer may have had no obvious reason to pull you over. These are the details that a DUI attorney from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols can assist you with to get your charges reduced or dismissed.
Please reach out to us right away, as you only have a limited amount of time in which to build a strong defense for your DUI charge before going to court. Call us today at 309-821-0246 to schedule your appointment with a skilled and knowledgeable drunk driving lawyer in Bloomington, IL from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols.
Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols: DUI Lawyers You Can Count On
If you’ve been arrested for a DUI, you might want to contact a drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, IL drivers trust as soon as possible. Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols has been helping people resolve their legal issues for 79 years. As a family-run law firm with an established reputation in Bloomington, IL, we are available 24/7 to protect the rights of our clients.
An arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious offense that could lead to long-term repercussions and large penalties. If charges are not properly handled by a Bloomington drunk driving lawyer, the outcomes could be significantly worse.
What to do After Being Arrested For Driving Under the Influence
Following your DUI arrest, the legal process could begin quite rapidly. As soon as you’ve been arrested, you may enact your right to remain silent until you have a drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, IL trusts at your side. Police may ask for your statement and you could be required to attend a hearing where you plead guilty or not guilty. While this is going on, you may feel upset, confused, and scared of what will happen. A drunk driving lawyer in Bloomington, IL may take this weight off your shoulders and act as your voice during legal proceedings. If you’ve already admitted to your DUI, or said any other incriminating statements, you may still want to contact a lawyer.
A Drunk Driving Lawyer in Bloomington Recommends Remaining Level-Headed During a DUI Arrest
Driving while under the influence of alcohol can be risky, and may put others in serious jeopardy. A person may have to face several ramifications if convicted. However, our Bloomington drunk driving attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols understands that sometimes a person makes an honest misjudgement without the intention to harm others. We understand that you may be feeling anxious and fearful about what may happen next and we can help protect you and walk you through every step of the way.
What to Know About the Arrest
Just because you were placed into handcuffs by an officer for a suspected DUI and booked at the nearest police department or jail, does not mean you are automatically guilty. In a moment of panic, a person may try to talk his or her way out of the arrest. Unfortunately, by doing so this may only make matters worse. The accused may not realize that certain statements to the officer are self-incriminating, and are likely to be used as proof of guilt in court.
When in doubt, remain silent except for when you must give your name and perhaps other personal information for booking purposes only. Then, request that you speak with an attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols before talking further with law enforcement. As scary as it may be, keeping a level head and remaining quiet can be what saves you in court.
Preparing for Court
After being booked, you will have to attend court where the prosecution tries to show you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt through evidence. This is where an attorney can try to dismantle and discredit evidence the prosecution brings forward.
An Illinois drunk driving attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols can help you prepare for an appearance in front of the judge. If you do not obtain legal representation from an experienced attorney, it can have a negative impact on your case. Our team is well-versed on the many different types of defense strategies we can utilize to help get your charges at least decreased. Just a few examples of defense strategies we may use include:
- The officer did not properly calibrate the breathalyzer before analyzing the test, which resulted in a false reading.
- The blood and/or urine sample provided was poorly handled, or was tested by someone who had not been properly trained to do so.
- You have a medical condition or were on medication that made you appear to be intoxicated, when you were actually sober.
Please contact our law firm for a free consultation with an attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols. We can offer legal guidance and support from beginning to end. We will do what we can to advocate for your behalf, protect you from overly harsh punishments, and safeguard your future opportunities.
How a Drunk Driving Lawyer Bloomington, IL Offers Might Help
Prior to any hearings, your lawyer may examine your case in full to determine whether or not any rights violations have occurred. If so, a lawyer might press for your charges to be reduced or for a dismissal of your case altogether.
After your arrest, you may be asked to attend an arraignment. Here, you’ll formally receive your charges and be given the chance to plead guilty or not guilty. It may be highly beneficial to have a drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, IL respects to stand on your behalf and make a statement that is best suited to your needs.
Common DUI Penalties
Each DUI arrest will always have its own unique factors; however, the penalties remain inherently similar. In Bloomington, DUI charges could lead to heavy fines, jail time, license revocation, probation, community service, drug testing, and a permanent record. A drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, IL has to offer may try to have these charges reduced, thereby saving you from any extensive and unnecessary punishments.
Anyone arrested for driving under the influence should consider hiring a drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL offers from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols. Our firm has helped thousands of criminal defense clients since we first opened our doors in 1938. Call us at 309-821-0246 to speak with one of our attorneys, who may review your case at no charge.
Drunk driving convictions can result in serious penalties, including lengthy jail time and steep fines. Talk to a Bloomington drunk driving attorney from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols to see how we may be able to help you. Here is some general information you may find helpful in the meantime:
Drunk Driving Penalties
As mentioned, a drunk driving conviction can be very costly in many ways. A drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL motorists recommend may be able to reduce your fine or even get the charges dropped. In Illinois, penalties for drunk driving can include one or more of the following:
- Driver’s license revocation for a minimum of one year
- Possible jail time
- Expensive fines
- Community service
Meeting with a Drunk Driving Attorney in Bloomington, IL
A drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL citizens hire under similar circumstances may review your case before developing a legal strategy. They would likely want to read a copy of the police report and to hear your detailed account of what led to and occurred during the arrest. It’s possible that the evidence used in a drunk driving charge, such as a breathalyzer report, can be questioned and possibly thrown out. Our attorneys at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols have a thorough understanding of the law and what is acceptable in a court of law. Under most circumstances, you will have three legal options from which to choose:
- Plead guilty to drunk driving.
- Negotiate a plea bargain in exchange for pleading guilty for a lesser charge.
- Plead not guilty and proceed to a trial on criminal charges.
Driver’s License Suspension Deadline
When you are charged with drunk driving or driving under the influence (DUI), the process to suspend your driver’s license is automatic. You must challenge that suspension within 46 days. If you do not, your license will be automatically suspended. It will be illegal for you to drive your car if that happens.
A drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL drivers often hire from Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols may make every effort to keep you from losing your license. With a trusted legal representative at your side, you won’t have to go through the legal process alone. You may be advised of each step in advance.
Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols Attorneys at Law
If you’ve been charged with drunk driving, protect your rights by hiring a qualified attorney. Just because you were arrested doesn’t automatically mean you’re guilty. At Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols, our lawyers fight hard for our clients and our success rate reflects this. Don’t stand by and risk getting convicted or paying steep fines if you don’t have to. Call us today to speak with a drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL residents turn to for results.
TO CONSULT A BLOOMINGTON DRUNK DRIVING LAWYER AT PIOLETTI & PIOLETTI IN BLOOMINGTON AND EUREKA. CONTACT US ONLINE OR CALL 309-467-3213.
As a drunk driving attorney in Bloomington, IL can attest, if you have already been convicted two or three times of driving while under the influence of alcohol, you can expect the penalties to be quite severe with the odds of spending time in jail quite good.
The fact that you even had a driver’s license at the time you were stopped for your third DUI offense tells the court the prior penalties were obviously not severe enough to deter you from repeating the crime.
A survey was recently given to a sampling of those who were convicted two or more times for driving under the influence of alcohol and then arrested for yet another charge. Interestingly, even the third or fourth time they were arrested for DUI, they were ultimately convicted of a lesser offense such as reckless driving. Of those responding to the survey, a third received a felony DUI conviction, just over half were convicted of a misdemeanor DUI, and about six percent pled guilty to a lesser charge.
The remaining respondents, about five percent had their charges dismissed or were not even charged criminally. Those who took the survey had a blood alcohol content of less than .07 percent, so the cases against them were not particularly strong.
What this says is the courts really want to give the offenders the benefit of another chance. When the offender abuses that additional opportunity and the blood alcohol content is significantly above the legal limit, the consequences become more severe, both in terms of financial penalties as well as potential loss of freedom.
What happens when you get a third or fourth DUI conviction?
It becomes easier to get a conviction when you are charged with your third or fourth DUI. In addition, a drunk driving attorney from Bloomington, IL knows if you come to the judge with more than two prior DUI convictions and are arrested yet again, the chance of spending time in jail goes up to about fifty percent. Depending upon the severity of the charge, about nine percent of first time DUI offenders are sentenced to jail time.
In addition, the court will likely require you to install an ignition interlock device on your car. This works like a breathalyzer wired directly to the ignition in your car. In order for your car to start, you have to breathe into a tube and your breath has to be alcohol-free.
The ignition interlock device also requires ‘rolling’ samples randomly while you are driving. When the device beeps you usually have about five minutes to blow into the tube. You never know when this will happen — it can be an hour apart one time, five minutes the next.
If you test positive for alcohol during a rolling test, your car will not shut off. However, the device will record the positive outcome and the DMV will be notified. In some states, if the rolling sample is positive, the car’s horn will honk and the headlights will flash.
Common Problems Involving Police Officers at the Scene of a DUI Stop
Police officers commit more mistakes during drunk driving stops than most people realize, and a drunk driving attorney from Bloomington, IL knows this can be beneficial to your case. An officer must abide by a set of protocols when pulling someone over and performing a field sobriety test. These procedures are set in place to help protect the rights of those who are stopped. If an officer makes a crucial error during a DUI assessment, the charges held against that driver can be contested with assistance from an attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols.
We have been dedicated to protecting the rights of and advocating for individuals accused of various types of crimes. When it comes to a DUI case, we can create a defense strategy to help protect you from having to serve jail time, paying hefty fines, or enduring harsher punishments than was is reasonable.
Here are some of the most common ways law enforcement may make a mistake during a stop of a driver on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol:
- Pulling Over the Driver Without Reasonable Suspicion
An officer must have a legitimate reason for pulling over a driver on the road. An officer is not permitted to use a hunch or gut feeling to determine whether a person may be under the influence of alcohol. A driver may be pulled over if he or she is swerving between lanes, runs a red light, speeds, or otherwise is breaking a traffic law. But, it can be unlawful to halt an innocent driver who is going about his or her day while following the rules of the road. If you suspect that an officer stopped you for no obvious reason, please let your attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols know right away so he or she can investigate the arrest further.
- Inaccurate Breathalyzer Testing
Breathalyzers can easily produce inaccurate results, especially if the officer forgot to calibrate the device properly before testing the next driver. The officer may not have administered the breathalyzer correctly or cleaned it entirely beforehand, leading to skewed results. These breathalyzer devices can have a margin of error around 15% or more. So drivers who have been charged of a DUI may be victims of inaccurate breathalyzer readings.
- Demanding the Driver Undergoes a Field Sobriety Test
Many drivers forget that field sobriety tests are voluntary. It is not required that the driver undergoes such a test. However, this means you may have to submit a blood and/or urine test instead. Field sobriety tests can be difficult to pass even if someone is sober, particularly if they are fatigued, injured, ill, or are simply just really nervous. You can politely decline the officer’s request to do a field sobriety test, but still produce your registration, insurance, and license.
Please inquire about a free starter consultation with a Bloomington, IL drunk driving attorney at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols by calling us today. We can offer legal representation, strategy, protect your rights, and advocate for you in court. We highly recommend contacting us as soon as possible, so we can get started creating a defense strategy for you.
Every DUI case involves different circumstances and each outcome can be different based on many factors. Consult with a drunk driving attorney Bloomington, IL clients trust who is experienced in DUI cases to get a better understanding of what you can expect with your particular case.
To Consult a Bloomington Drunk Driving Lawyer at Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols in Bloomington and Eureka, Contact Us Online or Call Today.
If you’re facing DUI charges, you may want to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Your legal defense may be time-sensitive, especially if there are any special circumstances or violations present. To schedule a free consultation with a drunk driving lawyer Bloomington, IL can provide, please call Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols today.
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