A drunk driving criminal charge can have a long-lasting impact on your life, so make sure you hire the best Cook County criminal defense attorney to defend your rights. Illinois has strict criminal penalties for a drunk driving conviction, so trying to go through the legal process on your own can result in dire consequences, such as jail time, which may affect your life negatively in the future. Thus, it's essential to find a skilled Cook County DUI Lawyer to provide you with the defense strategy you need to beat your DUI charges.
At Dohman Law Group, our experienced DUI criminal defense attorneys have helped thousands of DUI offenders in Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, Kane County, Kendall County, Will County, and throughout Illinois beat the DUI charges and we can help you, too. To schedule a no-cost initial consultation, contact our Cook County criminal defense law firm today at 847-616-9993.
If you're pulled over by a Cook County police officer after consuming alcohol or drugs, what you do can significantly affect the potential outcome of your intoxicated driving case. During this stressful time, remain calm and understand your power to “just say no.” Although you're required to provide your driver's license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance coverage during a traffic stop, Illinois law doesn't require that you answer questions about your alcohol consumption, activities, or related matters. Refusing to cooperate with an armed law enforcement officer with the power to arrest you is a daunting prospect, but you may refuse to answer questions and decline to take part in roadside breath tests or field sobriety tests.
Typically, the questioned police officers ask and the preliminary screening methods aim to create a probable cause for a drunk driving arrest, so you must exercise your power to say no unless you're absolutely certain you aren't impaired and have consumed no alcohol or drug. While you won't prevent a drunk driving arrest by refusing to submit to field sobriety tests or a preliminary breath test, the police officer will have less evidence to support probable cause for a drunk driving arrest, and the prosecution office will have less evidence at trial.
Further, you can't be punished for exercising your rights to refuse to consent to these preliminary screening tests or for refusing to answer questions concerning your drinking activities. However, the law enforcement officer and the prosecutor may still move forward with DUI charges based on their observations of your driving activity before the police stop or signs of impairment during the stop, such as slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, unsteady gait, lack of coordination, and/or the odor of alcohol on your breath. However, this type of evidence is less persuasive than failed field sobriety tests or admissions that you were drunk.
If a Cook County Police Officer or other law enforcement officers have probable cause for an intoxication driving arrest, the officer may take the alleged drunk driver into police custody and request the driver submit to formal chemical testing of breath, urine, or blood at the police station. Under Illinois law, a DUI offender will face a mandatory administrative driver's license suspension for refusing a blood alcohol content chemical test or failing a chemical test.
A first chemical test refusal will result in an administrative driver’s license suspension for one year for a first DUI offense as opposed to six months for a failed DUI test with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or above. A second chemical test refusal will result in three years of license suspension whereas a second blood alcohol content testing failure will result in a license suspension for one year. It's essential to note that if you're, arrested for DUI, your driver’s license will be suspended automatically on the 46th day following the DUI arrest unless you can successfully appeal the license suspension by submitting a written request to the Illinois Secretary of State.
At the time of your DUI arrest, the law enforcement officer will confiscate your driver’s license and give you notice of Summary Suspension. A driver arrested for drunk driving in Cook County or the surrounding areas should speak to an experienced DUI attorney as soon as possible to protect their driving privileges because the license suspension will remain in effect if you don't file a Petition to Rescind Statutory Summary Suspension promptly. Our Cook County DUI Defense Lawyers have helped many DUI offenders keep their driving privileges with successful appeals.
Our Cook County DUI criminal defense lawyers will investigate the entire timeline of your encounter with police officers. Starting from the moment the law enforcement officer follows you to the time the officer tries to get a formal chemical test of breath or blood back at the police station. After a careful review and analysis of the circumstances of your DUI arrest, our legal team may use a range of defenses to help you beat a DUI, such as:
If you're facing DUI charges or other criminal charges, it's normal to be anxious about losing your driver's license, paying hefty fines, or even spending time in jail.
Any criminal charge is a serious matter that warrants a serious solution. After a DUI arrest, it's important to speak with an experienced DUI criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.
The experienced criminal defense attorneys at Dohman Law Group are ready to help you maintain a clean driving record. Our Cook County traffic lawyers have decades of experience handling DUI cases. We'll fight aggressively to help you get a favorable outcome in your case. To schedule a free initial consultation, contact our Rolling Meadows criminal defense lawyers today at 847-616-9993.
