Many people charged with Driving Under the Influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) think they should just appear in court, enter a Guilty plea, and take their punishment. But if you have been charged with a crime, you are essentially entering a foreign world that you know little about and you should contact an DUI / OWI Defense Lawyer immediately.
If you have been charged with a DUI / OWI in Michigan, an experienced criminal defense attorney will act as your guide, provide advice on how to move forward, and protect you from aggressive police officers and overzealous prosecutors.
You should not just enter a guilty plea and accept your punishment. On the contrary, there are many legal defenses that may be available to you.
Michigan DUI defense attorney Robert Elmen will analyze your case, identify the available defenses, challenge the evidence against you, and fight to have the case dismissed or the charges reduced.
In Michigan, when most people talk about a drunk driving charge, they call it a DUI, meaning Driving Under the Influence. Technically, the Michigan charge is an OWI, which stands for Operating While Intoxicated. The penalties for a Michigan OWI can be severe. You face possible jail time, hefty fines, and a suspended license. An OWI conviction will stay on your criminal record for life and may prevent you from being considered for certain jobs.
You may also be required to attend an alcohol education course, pay for the cost to install an Ignition Interlock Device (IID), and incur increased insurance rates. If you lose your driving privileges, you may need to pay for transportation costs and will need to pay a license reinstatement fee once you are eligible to drive again.
But when you hire Elmen Legal, you significantly improve your chances of avoiding some of the harshest penalties. I have extensive experience defending people who have been accused of OWI and will fight to have the charges reduced. I might even be able to have the case dismissed.
But you must act quickly. Michigan law requires that you appear in court within 77 days of the date of the alleged offense.
An OWI is a criminal charge. As the defendant in a criminal case, you have certain rights. These include the right to an attorney, the right to remain silent, the right to confront your accuser, and the right to a jury trial. Police must respect these rights. If they do not follow the proper procedures during the initial traffic stop, when placing you under arrest, and when you are in police custody, you may have remedies available to you. When the police violate your rights, a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney can file a motion to suppress evidence and seek to have certain items excluded from trial. This makes it substantially more difficult for the prosecutor to secure a conviction and can result in a significant reduction to the charges against you, or even outright dismissal of your case.
When you work with me as your OWI Defense Lawyer, I will thoroughly investigate the charges against you, including the reasons for the initial stop, how the police handled the Field Sobriety Tests, and the test of your blood, breath, or urine to determine your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). I will also evaluate any conversations you had with the police after you were placed under arrest to determine whether your rights were violated.
I will file the appropriate motions to suppress evidence. This may include seeking to have evidence excluded because the police did not have probable cause to initiate a traffic stop, because law enforcement did not conduct the Field Sobriety Tests according to national standards, or because they mishandled your blood, breath, or urine sample.
I also will work with the prosecutor to point out the weaknesses in their case and negotiate a plea to a lesser charge.
And I will be fully prepared to take your case to trial, if necessary. To secure a conviction, the prosecutor needs to prove every element of the case, beyond a reasonable doubt. I will fight to hold them to this standard. If there is a reasonable possibility that you were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of your arrest, you may be acquitted of the OWI charge.
I was admitted to practice law in 2014 and have extensive experience defending people who have been accused of OWIs and other crimes in and around Ann Arbor, and throughout Michigan. I have a thorough knowledge of Michigan OWI law and regularly practice in courts in Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas. I also know the local courts and prosecutors, which can be essential to a successful OWI defense and improves your chances of a successful outcome.
If you have been charged with a Michigan OWI, Elmen Legal can help. I am proud to represent people who have been charged with a Michigan OWI in Ann Arbor, Saline, Pittsfield Township, Chelsea, or Ypsilanti, in Washtenaw, Wayne, Monroe, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Jackson, Ingham, Livingston, and Oakland Counties.
Learn more about Michigan criminal defense attorney Robert Elmen and read reviews from other clients, then contact Elmen Legal today to schedule a free, confidential consultation to discuss your situation and how I can help. Call (734) 707-8915.
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