One minute you are over at a friend’s house having a nice dinner accompanied by a few glasses of red wine, or at the local sports pub with some of your buddies having a couple of cold ones and watching the game. The next minute you are being pulled over by a police officer on your way home. When the officer approaches your vehicle, they ask for your driver’s license and registration.

Then things start to spiral out of control quickly. The officer tells you they smell booze. That your eyes are glossy and bloodshot. You are asked if you have been drinking, and if so, how much. The next thing you know, you are asked to step out of the car and perform field sobriety tests. We’ve all heard about them before. You are now on the roadside attempting to keep your balance while walking in a straight line, attempting to follow a stimulus with your pupils, and attempting to stand on one leg. Before long, you find yourself in handcuffs, under arrest, and in the back of a police cruiser.

The officer informs you about Colorado’s implied consent law, and you are told that you are supposed to submit to a breath or blood test. You are nervous, scared, and unsure of how to act or what to do. You spend the night in jail. At the end of the whole ordeal, you are charged with driving under the influence, or DUI.

Now what? While almost everyone knows what a DUI is, most people don’t know what their rights under the law are. This is where a lawyer can make a world of difference. Did the police act properly? Did they give you the proper directions for the field sobriety tests? How well did you perform during the tests? Did they inform you of your rights? Did they even have a legal reason to pull you over in the first place? Did you make any statements to the police that can be used against you in court? Do the police cruiser cameras and/or body cameras show the police acting under the color of the law, or do they show the officers abusing their power? What did the officer right in their report? Were there any mitigating circumstances?

These and more are the questions an attorney can help you answer. If you have been charged with a DUI, it is in your best interest to have experienced attorneys comb through your case and represent you in court to make sure you achieve as favorable a result as possible considering the circumstances. If you have been charged with a DUI, you are probably scared and confused. If so, call the Attorneys of Highlands Ranch. We know the law, and we are here to help.