Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Right to an Interpreter when Stopped by Police for DUI in Maryland

             When you are pulled over by police for any offense, especially serious offenses such as DUI/DWI, you have every right to ask for an interpreter.  When you are pulled over, a normal reaction is to be nervous and afraid, and if English is not your first language, you might be confused by many words that the police officer uses and on the forms that you are asked to sign.  If you request an interpreter and one is not provided, that is grounds to have the charges against you dismissed.  In fact, just this morning I was in court with a Chinese client who did not understand many of the complex legal terms related to a DUI case.  Police never provided an interpreter until reaching the police station, and at that point there were connection issues with the interpreter on the telephone.  The connection was lost and instead of reestablishing the connection, police gave up and continued with charging the client and marking off the breathalyzer form as a refusal.  The client never had the interpreter translate the meaning of the form and the consequences that come with refusing a breath test.  As a result, I was able to successfully argue that those charges should be dismissed.

              If you or a family member has been charged with DUI or DWI in Maryland and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information on DUI or DWI please feel free to contact our office at (301) 854-9000 and schedule an appointment at our office in Baltimore or throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/ 

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