Driving while intoxicated can have far-reaching implications in Missouri. For instance, a DUI conviction can impact a person’s driving privileges, jeopardize his or her employment and tarnish the individual’s reputation. For this reason, having a strong criminal defense as soon as a DUI arrest has taken place is paramount.
Someone arrested for DUI for the first time can expect to pay fines totaling hundreds of dollars or even spend several months behind jail bars if convicted. Repeat offenses result in even stricter sentences. Some of these offenses are considered felonies, which have even harsher sentences.
Although many arrests for driving while intoxicated are associated with alcohol use, charges can also be filed for reportedly driving while under the influence of narcotics, marijuana or cocaine, for example. Even prescription medication that is legally valid may lead to an arrest for driving while intoxicated. DUI charges related to drugs carry the exact same consequences associated with alcohol-related DUI charges.
When facing a DUI charge in Missouri, a defendant has the right to go to trial to aggressively fight this criminal charge. At trial, prosecutors have to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt before a conviction can take place. This high standard exists in an effort to prevent innocent people from being convicted of crimes they actually did not commit. A criminal defense attorney will work hard to ensure that a person facing this type of charge attains the most personally favorable outcome possible given the circumstances surrounding his or her arrest.
