Retain a DUI Lawyer in Easton as Soon as Possible

Finding a DUI lawyer in Easton is important if you are charged with DUI. This is because DUI laws are very strict in Pennsylvania, and a conviction can result in serious penalties.

For example, the penalties for driving under the influence (DUI) convictions can vary depending on factors such as your blood alcohol concentration (BAC), prior DUI convictions, and the circumstances of your arrest. An experienced Easton DUI attorney can help you understand the potential penalties you may face if convicted.

At Kitay Law Offices, we have represented numerous clients against DUI charges in Easton. We are familiar with the Easton court system and how to build a successful DUI defense. Contact us today for a free consultation.

How an Easton DUI Lawyer can challenge your DUI stop

In any given DUI/DWI stop, an experienced attorney will look at a variety of factors to determine if the stop was lawful. If the police did not follow proper procedures, some evidence against you may be thrown out. In doing so, you charges may end up either reduced or dropped completely. This may limit or eliminate the potential for jail time.

At Kitay Law Offices, an experienced Easton, Pennsylvania DUI lawyer will examine the following:

The initial reason for your stop

The police may have pulled you over for either a moving violation or a non-moving violation. In doing so, the police must have had a valid reason to pull you over in the first place and then must have had reasonable suspicion to detain you and investigate further.

If any of these factors are called into question, then your DUI stop may be illegal and any evidence obtained as a result of the stop may not be admissible in court.

Your conduct during the stop

Let’s assume you were pulled over because a taillight was out on your vehicle. In that situation, the police did not observe any wild driving, lane changes, or other potentially dangerous behavior on your part.

During your initial conversation with the police officer, you may have conducted yourself in a calm, collected manner and presented the officer with your license and registration immediately upon request.

Assuming this is all that occurred, it is very possible that the officer had no reason to suspect a DUI at all. If you were then required to complete field sobriety tests and the stop was extended far longer than needed, your DUI lawyer in Easton may be able to challenge any evidence gathered after that point.

A DUI Lawyer in Easton can show how the Field Sobriety Tests are flawed

If the police officer suspects you may be driving under the influence, he or she will ask you to complete Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs). While these maneuvers are widely known and have been used for a long time, they are actually wildly inaccurate.

To begin with, police officers are typically poorly trained in performing these tests. Further, the actual conditions under which a driver is asked to perform these tests is frequently less than ideal. Here are some examples:

• Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) – An officer’s observations of your eye movements are inadmissible at trial to prove you were DUI.
• Walk and Turn – To be reliable, this test requires ideal conditions. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.
• One Leg Stand – Similarly, this maneuver also requires ideal testing conditions to be reliable.

Was something wrong with the Breathalyzer?

When using a Breathalyzer, it must be an approved and properly calibrated device. If not, the results may be inaccurate.

Additionally, the officer administering the test must have been properly trained to do so. If not, the Breathalyzer results may again be inaccurate.

Finally, Breathalyzer results are typically inadmissible to actually prove you were DUI. However, the result may be admissible in order to show that the officer had probable cause to make a DUI arrest.

What occurred during the DUI blood draw?

If you were arrested on suspicion of a DUI, you may have been taken to complete a blood draw. Generally speaking, these must be completed within about 2 hours of your initial stop for the results to be reliable.

Further, the prosecutor must be able to show proper chain of custody regarding the specimen and results. Your Easton DUI lawyer may be able to challenge the results if these requirements are not met.

How your Easton DUI attorney can challenge Field Sobriety Tests

Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) are inherently unreliable. Not only have various studies confirmed this over the years, but testing conditions are typically poor, as well. Read on to learn about typical problems with these tests.

Walk and Turn

The Walk and Turn test requires the driver to take several steps forward, turn, and then take several steps back to the starting position. In addition, you must perform these maneuvers while staying on either a real or imaginary line. Finally, part of this test typically requires that you face toward the police vehicle, with its flashing lights and other distractions on the roadway.

Initially, it already feels like you are being set up to fail. In addition, however, you must be wearing comfortable shoes and be in reasonably good physical condition. If either of these are untrue, the results are even more likely to be unreliable.

One Leg Stand

Performing the One Leg Stand test requires you to stand on one foot with the other held up off the ground. The officer will then require you to stay that way for as long as he or she sees fit. Typically, this will be for up to 30 seconds.

During the test, the officer is looking to see how well you do. Do you sway back and forth or side to side? Do you need to hop around on one foot to keep your balance?

Unfortunately, however, this test also suffers many of the same flaws as the Walk and Turn test. Variables such as the surface conditions, footwear, and other distractions can make performing the One Leg Stand very difficult. Your Easton DUI lawyer will investigate this issue.

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus

The Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test involves the police officer observing your eye movements. He or she is looking to see whether your eyes appear to make any involuntary movements or jerking.

While alcohol may cause you to display involuntary eye movements, other factors could be involved. Medical conditions, medications, and other factors may cause eye jerking. As a result, the HGN test is often an unreliable indicator of whether you are intoxicated.

Contact a DUI Lawyer in Easton for immediate help

Fortunately, the Easton DUI attorneys at Kitay Law Offices have defended drivers against DUI charges throughout the Easton courts for years. We understand the various DUI defenses that may be available in your case and can put our criminal defense experience to work for you.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Driving while intoxicated charges are serious and you need skilled legal representation on your side immediately. Our law firm is here to help defend your DUI case while serving Easton, PA.