ALEXANDRIA DUI LAWYER (18.2-266)

DUI charges can risk can put you at risk of being jailed or license suspension. Don’t worry as a DUI lawyer in Alexandria Virginia I can help you defend your DUI charges in Virginia courts.

read below how to fight DUI charges in court

What some states call Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Virginia calls Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).

These are the same things with different names, but most people know it as a DUI.

Our Experienced Alexandria DUI lawyer explains the criteria for DWI in Virginia Law Section §18.2-266.

Essentially, a DUI is when you are operating a vehicle (car, boat, etc.) with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more.

The Code of Virginia also defines DUI as having specific amounts of other drugs in your system.

An experienced Alexandria DUI Lawyer from American Lawyers Group will be able to build you a defense and fight charges.

Are DUI Charges Considered Misdemeanors or Felonies?  What are the Penalties?

DUI offenses are considered misdemeanors until the third offense. 

The biggest difference between a felony DUI and a misdemeanor DUI is jail time. 

As shown above, in the table, jail time jumps from 1 year for misdemeanor DUI to 5 years for felony DWI.  

Penalties can also vary based on how high your BAC is at the time of the arrest. 

If your BAC is between .15% and .20%, a first offense will result in a mandatory 5 days in jail on top of other penalties. 

The same BAC for a second offense in 10 years will mean 10 days in jail on top of other penalties.

ABAC greater than 0.20% at the time of arrest will result in 10 days minimum jail time for a first offense and at least 20 days in jail for a second offense in 10 years.

For people under the age of 21, the BAC may not be higher than .02%. 

A DWI for those under 21 is still a class 1 misdemeanor but carries an automatic license suspension of 1 year, and a minimum fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service

Effect of DUI on Commercial Driver Licenses

DUI in Virginia is already harshly punished.  For those with a Commercial driver’s license (CDL), the license needed to operate larger trucks and buses, a single DUI will lead to loss of the CDL for one year. 

A second DUI offense will take away the CDL forever. 

The legal BAC for commercial drivers is still .08%, but operating a commercial vehicle with a BAC of .04% will still lead to other charges.

Your DUI attorney should be able to analyze your case and define the best defense strategies for you.

Getting a DUI while you support yourself and your family with a CDL can be horrible. 

It will disrupt your job, add stress to daily life, and possibly destroy your livelihood. 

If you have a CDL and face a DUI charge, get an experienced Virginian CDL DUI Attorney.

What is Different About Alexandria

Alexandria has very aggressive prosecutors.  The Alexandrian prosecutors are far less likely to offer deals or probation. 

Also, Alexandria’s prosecutors will not drop a DWI case unless there are damning factors that kill their case. 

If they believe that they have even a shadow of a DUI case they will go to court and will go for the conviction. 

If you face a DUI charge in Alexandria, get an experienced Alexandria DUI Lawyer.

Defenses to DUI Charges

There are several ways to defend against a DUI charge.  A lack of a properly administered field sobriety case can be helpful in defense. 

A reason besides alcohol that explains why the police felt they had to pull you over will also help your case.

Firstly, the field tests conducted to determine sobriety are limited. 

There are just 4 tests that have been scientifically verified to actually determine sobriety. 

If these tests are not conducted properly, they could be suppressed as evidence against you. 

Additionally, doubt can be cast on the charges against you based on the training of the officer who arrested you and what exactly happened during the arrest.

Breath tests are a stronger method of testing for alcohol. 

However, these tests must conform to the rules of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science (VDFS). 

If the test conducted does not adhere to the rules of the VDFS, they will be weakened as evidence or even tossed out altogether.

Additionally, if the person giving the test is not properly licensed, the test can potentially be thrown out. 
Slurred speech is a common gauge of whether someone has had too much to drink or not. 

However, there are a few studies that show people, including police officers, can wrongly assume people are drinking based on speech. 

If slurred speech is evidence the prosecution is using, it can be fought by a skilled Alexandria DUI attorney.

Why You Should Get an Alexandria DUI Lawyer

There are several ways to defend against a DUI charge.  A lack of a properly administered field sobriety case can be helpful in defense. 

A reason besides alcohol that explains why the police felt they had to pull you over will also help your case.

Firstly, the field tests conducted to determine sobriety are limited. 

There are just 4 tests that have been scientifically verified to actually determine sobriety. 

If these tests are not conducted properly, they could be suppressed as evidence against you. 

Additionally, doubt can be cast on the charges against you based on the training of the officer who arrested you and what exactly happened during the arrest.

Breath tests are a stronger method of testing for alcohol.  However, these tests must conform to the rules of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science (VDFS). 

If the test conducted does not adhere to the rules of the VDFS, they will be weakened as evidence or even tossed out altogether.

Additionally, if the person giving the test is not properly licensed, the test can potentially be thrown out. 

Slurred speech is a common gauge of whether someone has had too much to drink or not. 

However, there are a few studies that show people, including police officers, can wrongly assume people are drinking based on speech. 

If slurred speech is evidence the prosecution is using, it can be fought by a skilled Alexandria DUI attorney.