Results-Oriented Representation From Proven DUI Lawyers
You could be charged with DUI for driving under the influence of a variety of drugs, including prescription medicine. Under the law, DUI includes both alcohol and drugs because the use of a chemical substance, even over-the-counter medication, can affect an individual’s level of impairment.
If you were arrested for DUI with drug charges, it is important that you call our experienced Southwest Ohio drug-related DUI attorneys as soon as possible. Regardless of the drug charge involved or whether or not you were impaired, any DUI conviction can be very damaging to your future. At our firm, we have over 45 years of combined experience at your disposal.
Discuss the details of your DUI by requesting a free consultation today.
Types of substances that may be involved in a DUI:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Crack
- Prescription pain killers
- Ecstasy
- Cough medications
You may have a variety of explanations for the details of your arrest, such as use of a prescription drug for a legitimate medical condition. Unfortunately, law enforcement and the court do not care about those details. If they believe that your driving abilities were impaired by any type of drug in your system, they can and will arrest you for a DUI. We represent a wide variety of clients, including those who had no idea that they were allegedly breaking the law. Our mission is to fight on your behalf to minimize the impact of your DUI charge.
Consequences Of Refusing A Blood Test
Refusal to take a blood test will result in a one/two-year license suspension, depending on if the individual is a first-, second- or third-time offender.
- First-time DUI offenders face no minimum required jail time
- Second-time offenders face a minimum 10-day sentence
- Third-time offenders face a minimum 30-day sentence
What Are The DUI/OVI Penalties In Ohio?
Our investigation process can help to determine if your rights were violated during the initial arrest. Whether the appropriate actions were taken by the police or your sobriety test was conducted incorrectly, we examine every aspect of your case in order to find a way to get the charges dropped or have your case dismissed.
The potential penalties for each level of offense are as follows:
First-Offense DUI
- Jail: 3 days to 6 months
- Fines and penalties: $375 to $1,075
- License suspension: 6 months to 3 years
- No ignition interlock device required
Second-Offense DUI
- Jail: 10 days to 1 year
- Fines and penalties: $525 to $1,625
- License suspension: 1 to 5 years
- No ignition interlock device required
Third-Offense DUI
- Jail: 30 days to 1 year
- Fines and penalties: $850 to $2,750
- License suspension: 1 to 10 years
- Ignition interlock device required
Fourth-Offense DUI
- Jail: 60 days to 1 year
- Fines and penalties: $1.350 to $10,500
- License suspension: 3 years to permanent
- Ignition interlock device required
Can I Drive After A DUI Conviction?
Most states tend to punish driving under the influence (DUI) offenders particularly harshly. Ohio is no different. After merely an arrest for a DUI, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) often imposes an Ohio Administrative License Suspension, which prohibits people from legally driving on public roads. This penalty can be hard on those who depend on their cars for school, work, and medical appointments.
However, people do have a way of working around the suspension. A good West Chester DUI attorney can help people convicted of a DUI get “limited driving privileges,” while the case is pending. These may be granted to 1st-time offenders or people who had a relatively low blood alcohol content (BAC).
Factors Determining Your Ability To Drive
After conviction, whether or not you can drive depends on a number of factors. If you are sentenced to serve up to 6 months in prison, you will not be able to drive during that time. Likewise, your license will be suspended for 1 to 3 years, and you won’t have any driving privileges during the first 15 days after conviction (30 days if you refused a BAC test).
If the judge gives you a lighter sentence, you may be able to drive with an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in your car. You may also need to drive with restricted plates, yellow or red plates that must be on any vehicle you drive.
If you have subsequent DUI convictions, you are less likely to get a lenient sentence, which means you could lose your driving privileges altogether. Likewise, for a second DUI in less than 10 years, you could get your license suspended for up to seven years.
Are Checkpoints Legal?
These police-planned stops often feel like an intrusion and violation of our rights, but they are legal in 39 states, including Ohio. That said, police must abide by certain rules, such as publicizing the checkpoints by printing them in local newspapers and announcing them on local radio stations about a week in advance. Failure to do so could be used as evidence that a checkpoint was not legal.
What To Do At A DUI Checkpoint?
First and foremost, it is crucial to be polite and cooperative when you are stopped at a DUI checkpoint. If a cop suspects you are intoxicated, he or she will ask you to pull over to a secondary location, out of the way of traffic. You will be asked to perform a series of field sobriety tests, but you are not required to submit to these. If asked to take a chemical test, you should comply with this, or you will receive a one-year driver’s license suspension.
We’ll Review Your Case For Free
Our firm is available 24/7, so you can always reach us during your time of need. We are experienced trial lawyers who understand the various sciences involved in DUI/OVI defense, including effective ways to challenge breath, blood and field sobriety tests. If you have been arrested for driving under the influence involving drugs, do not lose hope. Instead, turn to our experienced West Chester DUI defense team.
Please make an appointment for a free consultation online or call us at 513-860-5533 to discuss whether a Southwest Ohio DUI drugs attorney can help you with your case.