Driving in the Whiteville area can be dangerous when other drivers are negligent or engage in intentional misconduct on the road. US Routes 17 and 701 intersect in Whiteville, and it’s possible for accidents to happen on nearby highways as well as on smaller local roads. Driving under the influence (DUI) is one of the most common causes of accidents in the area, and if you have been charged with this offense, you need to speak with a Whiteville DUI lawyer.
Christina Rivenbark y Asociados can provide compassionate and responsive criminal defense representation when you have been charged with a DUI in Whiteville. Nuestro equipo has decades of experience helping clients overcome criminal charges involving conducción temeraria, as well as serious incidents connected to accidentes de tráfico, accidentes de motoy accidentes de camión. We are confident that we can construct a viable DUI defense for you.
En Departamento de Transporte de Carolina del Norte reported that in 2023, alcohol was a major contributing factor to the number of accidents throughout the state. Including accidents that result in deaths, injuries, and/or property damage, alcohol was a contributing factor in 2,999 crashes. As such, law enforcement throughout the state remains vigilant for signs of intoxicated driving and pursues convictions in these cases very aggressively.
The first steps you take after an arrest for DUI in Whiteville are crucial. While you need to comply with arresting officers’ instructions so you do not face further charges, it is important that you exercise your right to remain silent until you can speak with an attorney. Your Whiteville DUI lawyer can assess the details of your arrest and help you determine your most viable defenses.
In every criminal case prosecuted in the United States, the prosecution has the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This is a very high standard of proof that requires the prosecution to present evidence compelling enough to leave no room for any reasonable person to doubt whether the defendant committed the offense.
Police may conduct arrests for DUI at specific checkpoints if they observe signs that a driver is intoxicated. If a police officer has probable cause to believe a driver is impaired, North Carolina’s implied consent laws for chemical testing apply, and the driver must submit to a test or face automatic administrative suspension of their driver’s license.
Alcohol impairment is assessed by testing for blood-alcohol concentration (BAC), and the legal BAC limit for most drivers is .08%. Anything above this will lead to a DUI charge. It is also possible for a police officer to conduct a DUI arrest for drugs if they observe signs that the driver is impaired by a substance other than alcohol.
After the arrest, the suspect will be booked and charged. If you find yourself in this situation, you must hire a DUI lawyer right away. You have no obligation to answer any questions or make any statements following your arrest. Comply with instructions but remain silent until you can speak with an attorney.
Your Whiteville DUI lawyer may be able to discern various defenses for you. In many DUI cases, defendants must challenge the grounds on which the arresting officer established probable cause for the arrest. For example, your attorney may attempt to prove that the arresting officer never had legal grounds to conduct your traffic stop in the first place. It’s also possible to prove there was a problem with your chemical test that led to a false positive.
When you have committed a DUI, your defense attorney can still potentially help you secure a lighter sentence than you may have faced otherwise. Ultimately, it is always worth having experienced criminal defense counsel on your side for any type of charge in North Carolina. Christina Rivenbark & Associates can help you navigate your DUI case with confidence, so reach out to our firm at your first opportunity to learn how we can help.
A: You should hire a DUI lawyer to have the greatest chance of avoiding conviction for this offense, or at the very least, minimizing your penalties. Your Whiteville DUI attorney can gather evidence that shows your arrest was wrongful, that the police officer who stopped you lacked probable cause to do so, or that your chemical test for DUI was compromised in some way. Your attorney will know the most viable defenses available to you.
A: En penalties for DUI in North Carolina are assigned on a case-by-case basis depending on the serious nature of the offense, whether the defendant has prior DUI convictions on their record, and whether the defendant caused an accident. Fines, driver’s license suspension, and jail time are standard penalties, but it is also possible for a defendant to face additional penalties at the discretion of the court.
A: It is possible to avoid jail time for a DUI in Whiteville under certain conditions. Some judges are willing to consider alternatives to jail time for first-time offenders as long as they did not have excessively high BAC or cause an accident, but this is never a guarantee. If you hire a DUI lawyer to defend you, they can potentially argue for you for lighter sentencing if a conviction is unavoidable.
A: The cost to hire a Whiteville DUI lawyer will depend on how much time they spend working on the case. Most criminal defense attorneys charge their clients by the hour, tracking time spent and billing their clients incrementally. Make sure you fully understand your defense attorney’s billing policy at the outset of your case, so you know what to expect when it comes to your legal fees.
Christina Rivenbark & Associates can provide comprehensive defense counsel when you have been charged with DUI in Whiteville. We have successfully helped many past clients navigate these cases, and we are confident we can help you reach a positive result. Póngase en contacto con nuestro equipo to schedule a free consultation with a Whiteville DUI lawyer and learn how we can help with your defense.