Sioux Falls Criminal Defense Blog

Perhaps you stopped on the way home after work and had a cocktail with your colleagues. You didn't think you would have a problem getting home safely because you didn't feel impaired. You got into your car and set out for home.

Then, the worst happened. You saw flashing lights in your rearview mirror. When the officer approached your vehicle and began talking to you, something makes them suspect you are driving impaired. You submitted to a portable breath test, which put your blood alcohol concentration at 0.08 or higher.

If you expected your college years would bring you a host of new experiences, likely you have not felt disappointed so far. You have probably met people from different cultures, studied ideas you hadn't considered and discovered things you never knew about yourself. You may also have felt the thrill of living outside the boundaries of your parents and the freedom of being in control of your own destiny.

However, if your new experiences include an arrest for drunk driving on or around your South Dakota college campus, you may be wondering what this could mean for your future. Unfortunately, you have every reason to be concerned about what will happen if a court convicts you. The ramifications of a drunk driving conviction have the potential to follow you for years to come.

As you drove home after having a couple of drinks with friends, you saw flashing blue and red lights in your rearview mirror. You may have wondered what you did to draw the attention of the police officer as you pulled over.

After asking the officer what you did, he or she may have noticed the smell of alcohol on your breath and asked you to step out of the vehicle. You don't believe you are impaired, but the officer says to prove it by field sobriety tests. If this scenario ever happens to you, the following information could help you decide whether to do so.

Getting pulled over by a police officer is typically a nerve-wracking experience. No matter the time of day or the reason, most people feel their heart speed up when they notice an officer trying to stop their car. For some, the situation may seem more intense if they had a few drinks before getting behind the wheel.

If you did have a few drinks before driving, it does not necessarily mean that you have broken the law. You may have waited enough time between drinks to keep your blood alcohol concentration level low, or you may not even have had enough to drink to change your demeanor in any way. Still, there is a chance that an officer may suspect you of DUI.