Planet Defendant – Being Charged With a Crime

August 30, 2018 Posted in Misdemeanor

You’ve never been charged with a crime before. Maybe you can’t afford to pay a civil traffic ticket so your license gets suspended and you get pulled over and cited for driving on a suspended license. Or maybe you have too much to drink and are stopped and cited for DUI. Suddenly, you have to rearrange your world to accommodate court dates and the Arizona criminal justice system. You have to learn a new vocabulary, deal with new people like court staff, prosecutors, and judges, and travel to new places like a city or justice court. You feel like you’ve arrived on a new planet. You have.  Welcome to Planet Defendant!

Planet Defendant in the galaxy of the Arizona criminal justice system may seem deceptively simple. Unfortunately, neither driving on a suspended license nor driving under the influence is simple.

Take driving on a suspended license. The prosecutor tells you the plea offer. He or she does not give you a copy of your driving records showing that your license was suspended. He or she does not inform you that your driver’s license will probably be suspended again if you plead guilty. Is the plea offered the best under the circumstances? How do you get a copy of your driving records? Who do you talk to at the Arizona Department of Transportation to find out if taking the plea will result in another suspension? Should you go to trial? These are questions only an experienced attorney can help you answer.

Driving under the influence is even more complicated. The prosecutor acts like all the evidence against you is damning. Did the police legally obtain your blood sample? Was your blood sample analyzed correctly? Did the officer have probable cause to stop you? Were you really impaired to the slightest degree in your ability to operate a motor vehicle? Will the Arizona Department of Transportation issue you a discretionary suspension in addition to the DUI suspension? Should you take the plea? Should you go to trial? Once again, an experienced attorney can help you answer these questions. Get in touch with the Law Offices of Gary L Rohlwing for any DUI related case.

You need an experienced guide to help you navigate Planet Defendant if you are charged with driving on a suspended license or driving under the influence. Attorney Gary Rohlwing is a criminal lawyer and misdemeanor DUI attorney with over three decades of experience. Please call him today for a free consultation.