Articles Posted in Ocean County DWI Defense

As Garden State DWI defense attorneys, my aim and that of my team of skilled trial lawyers is to provide legal assistance to motorists who are unjustly accused of driving under the influence of beer, wine, hard liquor, doctor-prescribed medications or even illicit drugs. Whether the charge is simple in-car possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), such as meth, weed or coke, of if the evidence suggests that a driver was illegally operating his or her automobile while impaired by alcohol, we are trained professionals who have many decades of collective experience in this area of the law.

Although it can be argued that the police have a much different take on driving while intoxicated, we understand that errors in judgment do happen from time to time, and not every drunken driving charge will be easily disproved, if at all. In the same way, however, it could be said that along with the extremely large volume of drunk driving arrests and subsequent court cases, that there will inevitably be injustices waiting to happen based on bad evidence or poor procedures on police department’s part.

We see all manner of drunk driving cases moving through our court system, in a variety of courtrooms throughout the Garden State. While New Jersey is not unique when it comes to the variety of DWI scenarios, we always find it interesting to review the different approaches that many motorists use to get themselves in trouble with local and state police. Here are just a few examples from Ocean County, NJ.
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In a couple of weeks we’ll be heading into not just another big holiday weekend, but the traditional start of the summer. The Memorial Day weekend is one those national holidays that brings out the crowds to many popular venues throughout the Garden State. With the reopening of large portions of the Jersey Shore following the devastation that was Hurricane Sandy, no doubt many people will be celebrating.

But as we in the legal profession know — especially firms like ours that defend individuals charged with drunken driving — the holidays are also a time when state police and local law enforcement professionals amp up their anti-DWI road patrols and roadside sobriety checkpoints. This why areas throughout the state will likely have enhanced drunk driving enforcement in place as Memorial Day draws closer, with campaigns like the “Click It or Ticket,” and other DWI-DUI awareness efforts.

As skilled New Jersey DWI defense lawyers, we know that even for a first-time drunken driving offense it is better to fight than knuckle under and plead guilty. The reason is that even a one-time DWI conviction can result in some stiff fines and other penalties. This doesn’t even factor in the effect that an earlier conviction will have should a driver find himself charged again with DWI within a short period of time.
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We’ve said it here many times in the past, but as usual it bears repeating: Never make your situation worse by running from the police or trying to evade a patrol car. The time is long past, if indeed there ever was a “time,” when a driver could pull some Hollywood-esque or “Dukes of Hazard” end-run on a local cop and end up avoiding a drunken driving arrest. First and foremost, as they say, nobody can outrun a radio. Secondly, every police officer has a radio, not to mention fellow officers plying nearby streets and highways, ready and willing to catch an evading motorist.

Besides the fact that there are strict evasion statutes on the books, being intoxicated and running from the police is basically foolhardy. As New Jersey DWI defense lawyers and motorists ourselves, the last thing we would want is to have a drunken driving suspect speeding around on city streets trying to beat the law in a road race. This kind of action on the part of a DWI suspect can only work against him in the courtroom later on. We also do not espouse lying to the police when they obviously have the upper hand.

Being inebriated leaves most people in a decidedly disadvantageous position; not only can their driving skills be severely compromised, but once stopped by a patrolman for a traffic infraction it can be a tough sell if one intentionally tries to mislead an officer. This goes beyond simple dodging of questions. Some motorists have been known to play games with a patrolman verbally, or even physically attempt to resist arrest or obstruct justice. Quite simply, it’s just not worth it.
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