Free Guide on What you must know if you’re arrested for DUI…

Discover:
What You Should or Should not do….

Nicholas George, Attorney at Law

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If you are arrest for a criminal offense, it can wreck your life in several ways.  There are a number of things people do that make things worse for themselves.

Here are 10 Common DUI Arrest Mistakes and How to Avoid Them:

1. Giving a voluntary statement — You are not required to talk to police when they ask you questions about a crime.  You have the right to remain silent—which is what you should do until you speak to an attorney.  People commonly think it’s OK to talk just a little bit to the police but that’s how they get themselves into trouble.  You should produce identification if asked by the police and that is all.

2. Allowing a search and seizure when the police some to your home — Do not give the police permission to do this unless they present proper credentials and a search warrant.  Read the complete search warrant to determine the scope and ask to watch the search proceedings.

3. Not being polite and courteous with Police — Don’t give them a reason to escalate the situation.  Things are bad – don’t make them worse.

4. Resisting arrest — Being uncooperative during an arrest will only hurt your case.  This means – be pleasant and obey movement requests but don’t give any statements or allow searches just because they say “You are being uncooperative”.

5. Voluntarily giving samples of body fluids, fingerprints, hand writing, clothing — You don’t have to give police these items without a court order.  Talk to your attorney before providing any of these.

6. Taking a polygraph or lie-detector test — You are giving a statement when you take such a test.  Even if you pass it, this test is not admissible in court.  Talk to your lawyer before agreeing to take one of these tests.

7. Failing to ask if you are under arrest — If the officers say “Yes”, you have the right to know why you have been arrested.

8. Waiting too long to hire an attorney — Don’t put off the inevitable.  Everyone knows that he or she must have a lawyer, but some people procrastinate until the last minute because they have trouble facing the fact that this dilemma has occurred.  When charged with a crime you should hire a lawyer early to enable the lawyer to optimally prepare your defense strategy.  For information on how to choose the right lawyer read the section entitled “6 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring an Attorney”

9. Not telling your lawyer all the facts — Your lawyer can’t give you the best representation if he doesn’t know all the facts about the case.  It’s not good for your attorney to be surprised by information which he learns at a hearing.  When you’re honest with your lawyer, he can do a superior job protecting your legal interests and personal liberties.

10. Choosing a lawyer who is inexperienced in criminal law or with trying cases to a jury — Criminal Charges have serious consequences—short-term and long-term.  Choosing an experience and skilled lawyer can have a tremendous positive affect on the outcome of your case.