DWI / DUI

HGN testing -- meaning horizontal gaze nystagmus testing -- in Virginia DUI cases is one of the three field sobriety tests (the others being the walk and turn (WAT) test and one leg stand (OLS) test) covered in the student field sobriety testing (SFST) manual...

Refusal convictions are what such a high number of Virginia DUI defendants want to avoid that many are ready to plead guilty or no contest/nolo contendere to the parallel DUI charge in a deal to consequently enter as nolle prosequi/ not prosecuting the remaining...

Blood draws are less common in DUI cases than are breath alcohol (BAC) tests. As a Virginia DUI lawyer, I know that blood draws are common in DWI cases, whether to check for drugs beyond alcohol, because of an injured driver, or because an alcohol...

Liquor (alcohol, beer and wine) use in Virginia calls for knowing the relevant criminal laws applying to alcohol. As a Virginia DUI and criminal lawyer, I know that police remain on alert for suspected alcohol law violators.Virginia criminalized liquor laws from DUI to public intoxication....

Tape recorded evidence should be commonplace in police encounters with criminal and DUI suspects. As a Virginia DUI lawyer, I know that the United States Park police and the Pentagon police are among the law enforcement agencies that routinely do not videotape DUI and other...

Blood testing and breath testing are the approaches Virginia police use in investigating possible driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both (known as DUI and DWI). As a Virginia DUI lawyer, I point out some of the following approaches in preparing for blood...

Felony prosecutions are possible for Virginia people convicted of DUI who in the process cause permanent injury to others. Specifically, any person violating the Commonwealth's DWI law who "in a manner so gross, wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life,...

Homicide is a risk of impaired driving, because in many ways, as Ralph Nader urged, cars can be unsafe at any speed. As a Virginia DUI attorney, I advise everyone to stay away from driving a motor vehicle for at least twenty-four hours after consuming...

PBT (preliminary breath test) testing is commonly requested by Virginia police before making a final determination whether to arrest a DUI suspect. As a Virginia DUI lawyer, I have on numerous occasions kept out PBT test results from judicial consideration and then convinced the trial...

Alcohol and drug programs are big business for DUI cases, other court cases, and non-court cases, employing a large percentage of people in Virginia and beyond. Yes, those programs often are better than if the only other choice is jai, but their very existence means...