Why You Should Call an Attorney After an OWI

When most people get an OWI, they’re hesitant to do anything about it. They receive their ticket in the mail, fill out the form, and send it back without a second thought.
However, there are many reasons why you should call an attorney after an OWI. The most important reason is that they might get the charges dismissed altogether.

Examining the Evidence

An attorney with experience handling OWI cases will know what evidence the prosecution needs to get a conviction. If the prosecution lacks that evidence, or if it was improperly collected, the attorney can have the charges dismissed or reduce them to a lesser charge.

Examples of the type of evidence an attorney looks for includes:

· Whether police had reasonable suspicion

· Whether you were read your rights

· Whether police testimony is consistent

· Results of breathalyzer or urine test

· Whether police obtained evidence through unlawful methods

· Whether your health conditions could have caused an inaccurate reading

Making a Stand

In court, you cannot be prosecuted if there is no prosecutor. Often, neither prosecutors nor police will appear for the designated court date, resulting in dropped charges.

Unfortunately, some judges will simply reschedule the court date if the prosecution is not present. A skilled defense attorney can argue with the judge and can get charges dropped altogether in such cases.

Your License

Ultimately, an OWI conviction will make your life significantly more difficult. It means points on your license, if not outright suspension, ticket fines and court processing fees, assessments and potential AA meetings, or even an ignition interlock device (IID).

When your ability to drive is on the line, you want to do everything you can to prevent an OWI conviction or at least reduce it to a lesser charge.