Connecticut DUI Lawyer
Connecticut is notorious for being tough on drunk driving. The crime of Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated is perhaps one of the most frequently charged crimes in Connecticut. As any top Connecticut DUI attorney could tell you, police are charging hundreds of Connecticut drivers with this crime. As a result, these drivers are losing their licenses and facing stiff fines and penalties in local criminal courthouses.
If you are charged with a DUI/DWI in CT, reach out to a criminal defense attorney for help with your case. An experienced Connecticut DUI lawyer at Mark Sherman Law could help you fighting the criminal charges and applicable license suspension.
What Law Covers Connecticut DUI?
As is true in most, if not all, American jurisdictions, operating a vehicle in Connecticut while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol represents a serious criminal act. As provided by Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. §14-227a, when a driver’s blood alcohol content is 0.08 percent or higher, operation while intoxicated is said to have occurred.
Can I get a DUI for having less than a .08 BAC?
Yes, the DUI blood alcohol threshold for those operating commercial vehicles is 0.04 percent. Drivers who have not yet reached the age of 21 are legally intoxicated for purposes of a DUI charge if found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.02 percent.
The DUI / DWI Arrest
As any top Connecticut DUI/DWI attorney can tell you, a driving under the influence arrest usually starts off one of two ways: you are either pulled over by the police, or you are involved in an accident. In either case, the police will lean into your window closely to observe you as you are sitting in your driver’s seat. They will look to see if the key is in the ignition, of if you have a keyless ignition, whether your car is operating and running. They will also lean in to smell you and your breath for any evidence of alcohol consumption. They will then ask for your license and registration.
While you are retrieving these documents, the police will carefully observe you to see whether you are shaky, fumbling for these documents, or otherwise appear unsteady and intoxicated. They will listen to your speech for additional clues of intoxication such as slurred words, mumbling, or stuttering. At this point, you should speak slowly and, most importantly, respectfully to the police officers. These officers have the discretion to let you go with a warning so it can only help your cause if you are respectful and courteous. However, if they believe you may be intoxicated, they will then ask you to step outside of your car and ask you to perform the standardized “field sobriety tests.”
The Standardized Field Sobriety Test
There are three field tests that Connecticut police uniformly administer during a DUI/DWI roadside stop: the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test (the HGN test), the walk-and-turn test, and the one-legged stand test. Together, these tests are called the “Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.” Other tests are optional and are administered at the discretion of the police officer who is interviewing you, such as a request to recite the alphabet backwards and forwards and other language or movement tests. First and foremost, you should know that you are not required by law to perform any of these field tests. Know, however, that any refusal will raise the police officer’s suspicions, as they will think you are hiding something from them. Additionally, if you are suffering from a medical condition that would prevent you from successfully performing any of these tests (i.e. arthritis, Parkinson’s, back problems, etc.), then you MUST advise the questioning officer so that they can include this information in their reports.
If you fail one or more of the field sobriety tests, then the officer is permitted to find probable cause to arrest you for DUI/DWI. You will then be handcuffed and placed in a police car. Again, it is advisable that you remain calm and courteous during this process, as the police often tack on charges when DUI/DWI suspects become unruly, such as Interference with a Police Officer / Resisting Arrest, and Disorderly Conduct.
You will then be advised of your Miranda arrest rights by the arresting officer, either at the time of your arrest or when you arrive at the police station. These Miranda rights remind you that you have the right to remain silent, anything you say to the police can be used against you in your criminal case, and that you have the right to an attorney. It is at this point that you should not disclose anything incriminating to the police (i.e., how much you may have had to drink that evening, where you were coming from when you were pulled over, how much you had to eat prior to your arrest, etc.). Once arrested, you should immediately ask to speak with a Connecticut DUI/DWI attorney. They will advise you how you should proceed during your DUI processing, especially on the issue of whether you should submit to a breath test.
Can I Refuse to Take a Breath Test in Connecticut?
Yes but there are consequences. It should also be noted that Connecticut is a so-called “implied consent” state, meaning that by virtue of driving a vehicle within its borders, a motor vehicle operator effectively agrees to undergo blood, urine, or breath testing for purposes of detecting illegal amounts of drugs or alcohol.
What Happens if I Refuse the Breath Test?
Your license will be suspended and you will have to take a breath test to drive your car for a year. Refusal to submit to such testing can result in suspension of driving privileges within 30 days of the arrest itself. Suspensions related to alcohol will also trigger installation of an ignition interlock device on the offender’s vehicle.
Being Released from Jail After a DUI Arrest – The 24-Hour Suspension
After you either submit to a breath test or refuse the test, the arresting officers will set a bond and a court date for you. Once you are released by the police department, then you are provided with a notice of the charges against you and, in every Connecticut DUI/DWI on-scene arrest, your license is suspended for 24-hours (for drivers who are 16 and 17, it is a 48-hour suspension). This temporary suspension is imposed to presumably give you a chance to “sober up” and forbid you from driving until all of the alleged alcohol in your system is out of your system. Note that this 24-hour suspension is strictly enforced in DWI/DUI arrests in Connecticut. Thus, if you are caught driving during this 24-hour suspension period, you will be arrested again for a new charge and face a 30-day mandatory jail sentence.
The Connecticut DMV Per Se Suspension Hearing
If you have a Connecticut driver’s license, then within a week of your arrest, you will receive a letter from the DMV notifying you of the length of your suspension, the date and time of your suspension, and offering you the chance to appeal your suspension. The length of suspension depends on several factors including your DUI/DWI arrest and conviction history, the level of your breath or urine test readings, whether you refused the test, and your age. The DMV usually gives you a 2 week grace period before your suspension begins to allow you to figure out alternative methods of transportation; however, you are given a very short time period to notify the DMV of your intention to appeal the suspension so it is critical you hire a DUI/DWI attorney in Connecticut to begin the appeal process for you.
The lawyers at Mark Sherman Law have appealed hundreds of DUI/DWI suspensions. We have been successful in overturning DMV suspensions on both technical and constitutional grounds. We are educated in the DMV regulations that govern the arresting officer’s conduct and protocols during a DUI/DWI arrest and if mistakes are made, then we argue that they should justify the restoration of your driving privileges.
Connecticut Work & School Permit Applications
During any suspension of your driver’s license for a Connecticut DUI / DWI, you may be eligible for a work or school driver’s permit, which allows you to drive only to and from work, college or graduate school. For a link to the work permit application, click here. For a link to the higher education permit application, click here
Will I Go to Jail if I Get a DWI?
Possibly. Even a first-time DUI offense can bring upwards of six months in jail, lengthy community service requirements, fines of up to $1000 and license suspension lasting one year.
Subsequent offenses within 10 years yield even more severe sanctions, with a second offense resulting in two years of incarceration, fines of up to $4000 and three years of license suspension. Third offenses bring even longer terms of imprisonment as well as permanent license revocation.
Are There Other Costs Associated with my DUI?
Yes, there are. Drunk driving that results in serious injury or death to others can produce even more serious penalties, and the ancillary effects of conviction on a DUI charge can make life extremely difficult for years to come. These consequences may include:
- Job loss
- Financial fines
- Increased insurance costs
- Suspension/revocation of professional licenses
- Difficulty obtaining security clearances and future employment
- Social stigma
- Immigration status implications
- Familial disruptions
How do I Defend Against a Driving Under the Influence Charge?
You should hire a top criminal defense attorney to use effective defense techniques. It may be possible for a Connecticut DUI lawyer to:
- Raise serious questions about the constitutionality of the initial traffic stop and subsequent searches
- Question the accuracy of blood, breath or urine testing methods and reporting
- Introduce doubt as to evidence handling methods employed by law enforcement
- Present evidence about the defendant’s medical status which may call sobriety test results into serious question
First Time Offenders – The Impaired Driver Intervention Program (the “IDIP”)
For first-time DUI / DWI offenders, an ideal resolution is persuading the Court to grant your application into the Impaired Driver Intervention Program (the “IDIP”). The IDIP is a drunk driving education class sponsored and facilitated by the State of Connecticut. It takes place over the course of 10 or 15 consecutive weeks. The Court orders how many classes you are required to attend. Be careful though…there is usually zero tolerance for missing these classes or showing up late. As an alternative, Connecticut DUI attorneys have had success petitioning the Court to allow individuals with busy, out-of-town work schedules to complete their classes over one weekend.
Most importantly, getting your IDIP application granted is a privilege, not an entitlement. It is not automatic, and it is not always easy, especially if your alcohol or drug readings are high, or if you refused the breath test. An IDIP hearing is held before a Superior Court judge who will grant or deny your admission into the IDIP. At the hearing, your Connecticut DUI/DWI lawyer will argue for admission and the state’s attorney (or prosecutor) will take a position as well. A top Connecticut DUI lawyer can try to convince the prosecutor to not object at this application hearing—significantly increasing your chances of getting the IDIP. Our approach is to be as prepared as possible for this IDIP hearing—and we will work closely with you and your family to capture and present you, both personally and professionally, to the Superior Court judge. If you are granted the IDIP, then your DWI/DUI will be dismissed in a year’s time and all the criminal records of your arrest will be destroyed and erased. If the Court denies your application, then you will either have to take the case to trial or plead out to a misdemeanor or felony charge.
Repeat Offender DUIs / DWIs – Second Time and Third Time Offenders & Home Confinement
Connecticut criminal law imposes enhanced penalties on drivers who have prior DUI / DWI convictions. Both second-time and third-time convictions for DUI/DWI result in mandatory minimum jail sentences—120 days for a second time conviction, and 1 year for a third-time conviction. The fines increase as well. While Connecticut’s home confinement program offers an alternative to incarceration, eligibility for this program is tricky. If you are interested in the Connecticut Department of Corrections home confinement program in connection with your DUI/DWI case, then you should call the Mark Sherman Law DUI/DWI lawyers as soon as possible to discuss how to optimize your chances of getting into this program.
Insurance Consequences & Your Carrier’s Investigation
Finally, there are various automobile insurance consequences that go hand-in-hand with a DUI arrest or conviction. Obviously, the suspension of your driver’s license is reported to the DMV and is flagged on your driving record. Insurance companies will frequently review these DMV driving history records when renewing policies, so if there’s an opportunity to get your driver’s license suspension overturned, then it is worth a phone call to a top Connecticut DUI attorney.
Also, when there is an accident at a DUI/DWI arrest crime scene, investigators working for your insurance company and the insurance company of the other vehicles involved will call you within 24 to 48 hours to get a recorded statement. Their job is to find out what happened, determine whose at fault, and figure out if they should cover the property and personal injury damages. Remember any statement you make to them can be used against you in your criminal case, especially if it is recorded. However, if you refuse to provide your auto insurance carrier with any information, they could deny coverage altogether and you will be personally responsible for all the damages. Therefore, it is critical that you consult with a Connecticut DUI/DWI attorney to advise you on how to balance (1) protecting yourself from making incriminating statements, with (2) cooperating with your carrier adequately enough to trigger coverage for any damages caused by the accident.
Contact a DUI Attorney at Mark Sherman Law Today
As you can see from the information above, Connecticut DUIs are complicated and involve many considerations and tough decisions. Below are some additional links that we believe will help guide you through some of your questions and concerns; however, the best method for understanding your case is to consult a top attorney.
We are focused on one objective: results. Our “two-attorney” review process and reasonable rates distinguish us from our competition. We will aggressively work with you to resolve your case as quickly as possible. Call us today to begin working with a Connecticut DUI lawyer.