DUI and DWI
DUI charges, read one document at a time
A DUI case rests on a few records: the stop, the field tests, the breath or blood result and the arrest report. Each one has rules for how it's made, and Rania checks every one.
She takes first and repeat charges, breath and blood cases, test refusals, and charges against drivers under 21. Each file starts with the same two questions: what does the evidence actually show, and was it gathered the way the rules require?
The file
Four things she checks in every DUI file
- 01
The reason for the stop
An officer needs a lawful reason to pull you over. If there wasn't one, what came after may not hold up.
- 02
The roadside tests
Field sobriety tests have set instructions. Uneven ground, bad shoes or a rushed officer can change the result.
- 03
The breath or blood result
Machines need upkeep and blood samples need a clean record of who held them. Gaps in either matter.
- 04
The video
Dash and body cameras often show a calmer driver than the report describes. She watches all of it.
Sample matters
How DUI files like these have closed
Invented examples that show the kinds of endings a DUI case can reach. They aren't real clients.
Dismissed
First DUI
The video showed no traffic violation before the stop.
Reduced
Repeat DUI
Amended to a non-DUI charge after gaps in the blood sample's records.
Not guilty
Test refusal
A jury found the refusal warning was never read.
Sample matters for illustration only. Every case turns on its own facts, and a past result doesn't predict the result in yours.
Three questions about the DUI itself
Should I have taken the breath test?
There's no right answer after the fact, and both choices carry consequences for your license. What matters now is the deadline to ask for a hearing, which applies either way.
Is a first DUI a misdemeanor?
Usually, though it depends on the test result, whether anyone was hurt and whether a child was in the car. Rania will tell you what the charge on your paperwork means.
I'm under 21. Is it different?
Drivers under 21 face lower limits and separate license rules, and a conviction can follow a school or job application. The same short hearing deadline applies.
Talk through your DUI tonight
Tell her what's on your paperwork and she'll tell you what has to happen first.