Leonardtown

Serving Maryland & Washington DC

Leonardtown, Maryland DUI/DWI Lawyer

If you have had a driver’s license for more than a few years, you have probably been to traffic court. There may have been times when you simply paid your traffic citation and went on with your life because it was simpler than missing work and going all the way to a courthouse just to fight a traffic ticket. You did not hire a lawyer for traffic court, so why is DUI or DWI any different? Maryland law takes drunk driving very seriously, to the point that you can get criminal charges even if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is only 0.04, which is only half of what most other states consider the legal limit. To avoid driver’s license suspensions, or even jail time, after an alcohol-related traffic stop, contact a Leonardtown Maryland DUI lawyer.

Experienced Leonardtown Maryland DUI Lawyer

One of the factors that determines the consequences of driving after consuming alcohol is your BAC. These are the consequences of driving at various levels of alcohol intoxication:

  • If your BAC is more than 0.04 but less than 0.08, you can be charged with driving while impaired (DWI). For a first offense DWI, the court can require you to pay a $500 fine and sentence you to up to two months in jail.
  • If your BAC is 0.08 or higher, you can be charged with driving under the influence (DUI). The maximum penalty for first offense DUI is a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.
  • If your BAC is at least 0.15, the charges are still for DUI, but the penalties can exceed one year in jail, even if it is your first offense. (Consider how the law treats driving 80 mph in a 45 mph zone differently from driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone.)

Even if it is your first offense, and even if your BAC was only 0.08, Maryland law requires the use of ignition interlock devices for a sixth-month period following each DUI conviction. When your car has an ignition interlock device, the engine will not start unless you blow into a breathalyzer device attached to the steering wheel, and it shows that your BAC is below the legal limit.

It might seem as if whether someone is innocent or guilty of DUI is a simple matter, but your Leonardtown Maryland DUI lawyer knows about all the legal complexities involved and can help you advance the best possible defense. For example, it makes a difference whether the police overstepped their bounds in trying to catch you in the act of driving drunk. Likewise, the field sobriety tests sometimes used as evidence in DUI cases are outdated and inaccurate.

The Law Office of Robert R. Castro is a DWI law firm in Leonardtown Maryland that works on criminal cases throughout St. Mary’s County and southern Maryland. The Law Office of Robert R. Castro is located at 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601. You can also call us (301)705-5137 or contact us online.

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