Darien DUI Trials
An individual’s first appearance in court is called an arraignment in Darien. The person charged will have to go to court for the first time, and the attorney will typically speak with the prosecutor early that morning. Usually, this is to pick up the police reports or any additional police reports if they have not received them yet.
At that first court date, the attorney and client will first get to talk about their strategy with the prosecutor. The strategy might be to apply for a program on that first date or it might be to get some time to look more closely at the police report, if there are some contested issues. In this situation, an attorney can ask the judge for a continuance.
Due to the many elements involved in Darien DUI trials, it is important that an individual obtains legal counsel as soon as possible. An experienced DUI attorney in Darien can help effectively prepare an individual for trial.
Initial Trial Process
Typically, the police will find a date that is within 14 days of the arrest to schedule an individual’s initial appearance in their Darien DUI trial. However, if the person or their attorney wanted to move that first court date, it could be outside of the 14-day window.
Initial appearances for DUI charges in Darien take place in the Stamford Superior Court.
During the first phase of their Darien DUI trial, a person would have their own attorney, themselves, the prosecutor, and a judge present.
If the person was still incarcerated because they were not able to post bond, then the bail commissioner would be there as well to give their opinion on the amount of bail the person should be required to post.
Role of the Judge
The judge who presides over the initial appearance will set any conditions on the person. For example, if they are only supposed to drive when they are properly licensed, registered, and insured, the initial judge will be the one to tell them that and to set the conditions on the case.
From there on out, it could be a different judge. An individual’s Darien DUI trial is usually in Stamford in the same courtroom, but different judges do sometimes fill in, so it will not always necessarily be the same judge.
Bond Schedule
In Connecticut, the bail commissioner will make a recommendation to the judge as far as what the bond should be. There is no set amount for the crime in particular, but they will take into account whether or not the person has any past DUIs or past failures to appear in court when they set the bond.
Typically, the bond is relatively low for a first-time DUI as long as there were no serious accidents and no one was injured, usually in the range of between $100 and $500. However, if there are other circumstances that arise during an individual’s Darien DUI trial, then the bond may be higher.