DWI Charges and Field Sobriety Testing
Minneapolis DWI Attorney
If a police officer notices you driving too fast or too slow, weaving in and out of lanes or other examples of erratic driving, they may pull you over because they suspect you are driving while intoxicated (DWI). Upon pulling you over, they typically will administer a series of field sobriety tests in order to help them determine if you’re driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you have been arrested for a DWI primarily based on the results of a field sobriety test, contact a
Minneapolis criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Attorney Martin of Martin Law Offices has extensive experience defending people against a variety of DWI charges and will work tirelessly on your behalf in order to identify weaknesses in the prosecution’s case against you. Understanding the fear and stress that people often feel when arrested and put on trial, he will be available for you to contact day or night so you can always obtain answers to your questions or concerns. He will work with you throughout the entire trial to provide you with a formidable defense, as well as inform you of developments throughout it so you are aware of what is transpiring.
Arrested and charged after field sobriety testing?
When a law enforcement officers suspects that you may be intoxicated, they will typically administer these field sobriety tests to help them determine if you’re impaired:
- One Leg Stand: Tests whether you can stay balanced when standing on one leg
- Walk & Turn: Features you walking a straight line, turning and walking the line again
- Horizontal Gaze: Requires you following their finger (or pen) from side to side
Field sobriety tests are an imperfect method of determining if someone is driving while intoxicated and often officers fail to accurately administer the tests. This can lead to them arresting a person who isn’t legally intoxicated or committing errors that can result in the case against you getting dismissed altogether. Aggressively defending your case is crucial, as DWI penalties are steep and can seriously disrupt your life. Even if you’ve never received a DWI before and have no criminal record, you can still have your driver’s license suspended for up to a year and face jail time and/or a fine of $1,000.
If you were arrested based on the results of a field sobriety test, contact a Minneapolis DWI attorney
to discuss your legal options.
Page: Blood Alcohol Testing Parent: DWI/DUI
DWI in Minneapolis: Blood Alcohol Testing
Challenging Blood and Breath Test Evidence in Court
When a police officer pulls you over because they suspect that you’re driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, after a
field sobriety test, they often will conduct a test to determine your blood alcohol content (BAC). This measures how much alcohol is in your body and you can be arrested if you are driving with a BAC of 0.08 percent or higher. Breath, blood or urine tests are used to determine your BAC, but they are susceptible to falsely identifying you as being legally impaired through errors in test administration.
Minneapolis DWI Lawyer
Immediately contact a Minneapolis criminal defense lawyer if you were arrested based on the results of a blood alcohol test. Martin Law Offices is committed to helping those accused of driving while impaired and will work tirelessly on your behalf in order to defend you against the charges you’re facing. Beginning with a free consultation, attorney Martin will conduct a thorough review of your situation to help present the best defense possible. He will aggressively work to identify elements of the prosecution’s case that can be challenged, as well as highlight any illegal/improper actions on the part of the arresting officer.
Blood alcohol tests can be administered by blowing into a breathalyzer, having blood drawn or urinating into cup. Breathalyzers are the most common and are administered on the spot when the officer pulls you over. They work by identifying the percentage of alcohol in your breath, however a variety of factors can influence the results including officers improperly administering the test. Blood and urine tests are taken at a police station and measure the amount of blood in your system. Blood tests are considered the most accurate, however they require the person administering the test to stick a needle into your arm and draw blood, a procedure that most people choose to avoid. Urine tests can give false readings because it takes over an hour for alcohol to show up in one’s urine, so the test doesn’t fully identify your blood alcohol content at that exact moment in time.
Contact a Minneapolis DWI attorney
if you have been arrested for drunk driving based on the results of a blood alcohol test.