Arizona Criminal Defense Lawyers
It is stunning that this ruling was necessary, but it does correct a ridiculous standard for guilt in DUI cases.
To be convicted of driving under the influence, the state must now prove they you were under the influence and impaired at the time of driving, and not just weeks before. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Yet before this decision, it was simply not the case. [Read more…]
If you’ve ever had a single drink and then got behind the wheel of a car, you’ve truly opened yourself up to suspicion of DUI. Though you might not have drank enough to be considered over the legal limit of .08 BAC, the smell on your breath would likely warrant suspicion from a police officer. Fortunately, in most cases, that officer would conduct a series of tests to check how intoxicated you were, and if it were only one drink, you would likely be sent on your way. [Read more…]
You shouldn’t drive when you are high. It’s not safe for you and it’s not safe for anyone else on the road. But the state should have to prove you are, in fact high before they can arrest, charge, and convict you of a crime. As the Arizona laws currently stand, they do not. But some are hoping that will soon change. [Read more…]
April 2104 Update: Sanity prevails, and this decision was overturned.
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You would think to be arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), you would have to be under the influence of something, feeling its effects. Not so says an Arizona Court of Appeals who ruled last week that simply having marijuana’s active components in your body is enough for a conviction. And because THC (the active component in marijuana) stays present in the body for months, a toke last month could get you a DUI charge tonight. [Read more…]
In an effort to reduce incarceration costs, the city of San Luis, Arizona is considering having some misdemeanor offenders serve their sentences in the relative comfort of their own home. The move seems to be a win-win for both parties and would make San Luis Municipal Court the first in a south county to make such a move. [Read more…]
It’s Labor Day and for police across the state it means heightened DUI efforts. Far from unusual, holiday weekends are a popular time for drinking and driving and for police to get some arrests made. Whether you’re in Tucson or Phoenix, expect both local and state agencies to be out in full force. [Read more…]