Getting arrested for operating while intoxicated (OWI) (formerly known as driving under the influence or DUI) and getting a Porter County DUI or Lake County DUI is a very humiliating and dehumanizing experience. It begins with either those infamous red and blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror, or an obvious road sign that says, “Safety Checkpoint Ahead” or “Sobriety Checkpoint“. Holidays are an infamous time when these OWI / DUI Checkpoints are in full force.
Once you have been stopped or approach the officer at the Lake or Porter County DUI checkpoint, the officer will ask you a few questions. The normal purpose for this is to give the officer a few seconds to detect the odor of alcohol. If the officer suspects that you might have been drinking, he will then ask the question, “Sir/Ma’am, have you been drinking
?” If the answer is yes, the officer will ask how much, what type of alcohol, how long ago, and where it was consumed. Your answers to these questions will result in the officer letting you go, or the officer asking you to step out of your car.
If the officer asks you to step out of your car, he/she will likely then ask you to complete a series of tasks known as a field sobriety test. The field sobriety test is a series of physical movements designed to evaluate your physical and mental dexterity to determine whether your mental and motor functions are impaired. They usually consist of the walk and turn test, touching your index finger to your nose repeatedly, standing on one foot, and counting backwards, to name a few.
If the officer makes a determination that he has reason to believe that you are impaired or intoxicated, he will then administer the portable breath test, or PBT. The portable breath test will measure the amount of alcohol in your system per every two hundred ten (210) liters of breath. These PBT‘s are not admissible in a court of law, they are simply designed to give the officer a reasonable measure of your intoxication. If you have more alcohol in your system than the legal maximum (.08 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath) the officer will then place you in handcuffs and under arrest.
You will then be transported to the jail or police station for further booking and examination. You will likely then be administered a DataMaster breathalyzer test. This machine takes the same measurement as the PBT; however, it has a much higher standard of accuracy, and can be admitted as evidence of your intoxication in a court of law.
You might spend as much as several nights in jail prior to seeing a judge. When you see a judge, depending on your criminal history, you may or may not be released pending the final resolution of the charges.
SFT Lawyers – Lake County and Porter County DUI / OWI Lawyers Who Can Help!
Porter County DUI‘s and Lake County DUI‘s are very serious business. You could spend significant time in jail. You could end up with a felony conviction on your record. You could end up performing countless hours of community service. You need an experienced Porter County OWI lawyer or an experienced Lake County OWI lawyer who can defend you. SFT Lawyers has experienced Lake and Porter County DUI lawyers who can assist you. Call TODAY for a FREE CONSULTATION! (219) 841-5683.