Maryland's New Mobile Breath Test Truck Means More DUI Arrests

      We all should be familiar with the stricter DUI penalties in place in Maryland as of October 1, 2016. Police throughout Maryland are doing whatever it takes to catch as many drunk drivers as possible to keep roads and highways safe. Over the past few years, there have been far too many fatal accidents caused by drunk drivers and police want to put an end to that. We have just made it through the busiest time of the year for DUI arrests with holiday parties and New Years.

      Maryland State Police recently unveiled a Mobile Breath Test Truck that they can set up at DUI checkpoints to make the DUI arrest process much quicker. This is bad news for drunk drivers on the roads because this means that police can process a drunk driver much faster than they used to. In a typical DUI arrest, a police officer will pull you over, smell alcohol on your breath, ask you to submit to a preliminary breath test and/or perform field sobriety tests. Based on results of these tests, the police officer will then arrest you for DUI. Next, the officer will have to transport you to the police station to administer the official breathalyzer test. The results of that test are used in your case. This process took a significant amount of time to transport an offender from the scene of the arrest to the station. With the mobile breath test truck, officers can now perform the official breathalyzer test at the scene of the arrest and continue to make additional arrests.

     
       You should always think twice about drinking and driving, but there is even more reason now to call an Uber or Lyft instead of taking the risk to drive. Police are now more likely to catch you driving drunk on the roads than before.

If you are caught drinking and driving in Maryland, call Portner & Shure for a free consultation. The consequences are significant with Maryland's new laws, so don't risk your ability to drive and hire a Top 10 DUI law firm to represent you. Call us today: (301) 854-9000; (410) 995-1515.

      

Harsh Penalties for CDL Drivers Charged with DUI in Maryland

·         A DUI charge is a major disruption in anyone’s life, but if you drive a commercial vehicle for a living, a DUI conviction can prevent you from being able to earn an income.

·         In addition to having your regular driver’s license suspended for a minimum of six months, CDL drivers convicted of DUI face an automatic suspension of their CDL for an entire year.

·         There are NO exceptions to this rule, not even if you receive a probation before judgment or PBJ.

·         If you have a CDL, you need an attorney who is willing to fight to preserve your ability to earn a living.

·         If you've been charged with DUI and you hold a commercial driver's license, call Portner & Shure today for a free consultation, (301) 854-9000, (410) 995-1515.

Immigrants Beware in Harford County— Immigration Status of Everyone in Custody Will be Checked

Harford County has partnered with ICE for their controversial program that allows local law enforcement to check the immigration status of everyone it takes into custody.  This program is already in place in about 15 other local jurisdictions nationwide. If you are here illegally and are arrested for a crime or serious traffic offense in Harford County, police officers will run your name through the ICE system. Previously, only immigrants who are convicted of a crime or serious traffic offense risked having their name sent to ICE. Now, there is a much greater risk of being deported in Harford County if you are arrested for a criminal or traffic offense. If you’ve been charged with a crime or traffic offense in Harford County, call Portner & Shure today for a free consultation.

Immigrants Beware in Harford County— Immigration Status of Everyone in Custody Will be Checked

  ·         Harford County has partnered with ICE for their controversial program that allows local law               enforcement to check the immigration status of everyone it takes into custody

  ·         If you are here illegally and are arrested for a crime or serious traffic offense in Harford County,         police officers will run your name through the ICE system

  ·         Previously, only immigrants who are convicted of a crime or serious traffic offense risked having       their name sent to ICE

  ·         Now, there is a much greater risk in Harford County

  ·         If you’ve been charged with a crime, call us today for a free consultation (301) 854-9000

Don’t Wait to Hire a Defense Attorney for your Case in Maryland

   ·         We have several criminal clients who call us the day before trial seeking representation for their           case

   ·         Don’t wait until the last minute to hire a defense attorney in your case because the longer you wait,    the more difficult it is for your attorney to craft a strong defense. Defending against criminal or            traffic charges is a process and not something that can or should be done in a 24 hour period.

   ·         Your chances of a favorable result in your case are more likely if you hire an attorney immediately       after you are charged with a crime or receive a ticket for a serious traffic offense because your             attorney can request discovery and discuss your case with the State’s Attorney

   ·         Time is also important for traffic citations because they have a short period of time for you to either     pay a fine or request a hearing. If you wait until the day before trial to worry about your charges,         you most likely have missed the deadline required to either pay your fine or request a hearing.

   ·         If you are facing criminal charges or a traffic ticket, don’t delay and call Portner & Shure today for    a free consultation 

DUI in Maryland – How Your BAC Will Affect Your Case

In any DUI case, your BAC is the biggest determining factor in the severity of consequences you will face. The only way for the police to obtain your BAC is to submit to a breathalyzer or blood test. If you refuse, the consequences are even more severe because the police have no way of knowing how drunk you actually were, and the assumption is made that you were well over the legal limit.

You can be charged with a drinking and driving offense in Maryland with a blood alcohol content as low as 0.04, however, if your BAC reading is 0.04 or 0.05, will be entitled to a presumption under the law that your driving abilities were not impaired. At a 0.06 or 0.07 there is no presumption and you can be convicted of DWI if the State can prove through your driving behavior or field sobriety tests that you were impaired. At a 0.08 or above, you are automatically considered intoxicated. 

If you refuse the breath test or provide an insufficient sample, you can still be convicted of dui based on your driving behavior and field sobriety tests.  If you knowingly refused the test, this can also be used against you in court as proof that you refused the test because you knew you were intoxicated. 

If you’ve been charged with DUI, there may be defenses to your case regardless of your BAC. Contact Portner & Shure’s criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation.

Planning to Drive Drunk in Maryland—Beware of Harsh New Consequences

   Starting October 1^st, if you are convicted of a DUI, you will be required to install an Ignition Interlock device in your vehicle. Maryland is now catching up to other states with stricter drunk driving laws. DUI cases are always serious no matter what state you are in, but prior to October 1st, if you were arrested for DUI in Maryland, you were fairly lucky because the consequences were not very severe.  However, now the consequences are much more severe.  For instance, license suspension periods have been increased significantly —first offense with BAC 0.08-0.14=180 days; BAC 0.15 or more=180 days; Refusal=270 days.

   Again,  before October 1^st, anyone convicted of their first DUI in Maryland was not required to have an ignition interlock installed in their vehicle, and in many cases, with good legal representation, these drivers only received a “slap on the wrist.” Now it is more important than ever to hire an attorney if you are arrested for DUI in Maryland because it is more important than ever to avoid being convicted for your DUI.

     If you have been arrested for DUI in Maryland, visit us online at www.portnerandshure.com or call us today at (410) 995-1515 or (301) 854-9000.