Monday, April 14, 2014

Virginia DUI Lawyers Prince William Driving Influence Field Sobriety Tests

8:17 AM | Posted by Unknown | Edit Post
Virginia DUI Prince William Lawyers

Below is a sample case of traffic violation in Virginia as interpreted by a lawyer in our firm.

Have you been charged with a traffic ticket in Virginia and need a lawyer to defend you? 

Are you concerned about the consequences of being charged for a traffic violation in Virginia?

We have defended many traffic tickets in Virginia and we can help you as well.

We have client meeting locations in Fairfax Prince William Richmond Loudoun Virginia Beach Fredericksburg Lynchburg

Contact our law firm today to speak with a lawyer today about your traffic violation.  An attorney from our firm will do his best to help you.

Our law firm has the necessary experience to assist you with this matter.  We will do our absolute best to help you get the best result possible based on the facts of your case.

David v. Commonwealth

Facts:

Defendant sought review of a judgment from the Court of Appeals of Virginia, which affirmed his conviction in Prince William for unreasonably refusing to submit to a blood or breath test after being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol in violation of Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-268.2.

            If you are facing a traffic case in Virginia, contact a SRIS Law Group lawyer for help.  You can reach us at 888-437-7747

Holdings:

            The Virginia Court made the following holding:

  • A refusal to submit to field sobriety tests can often be explained in terms of innocent human behavior. Unlike instances of flight, the use of a false name, or other acts of deception, a driver refusing to submit to a field sobriety test has not undertaken affirmative action to deceive or to evade the police. Moreover, there are numerous innocent reasons why a person may refuse to engage in tests that are not required by law, including that a person may be tired, may lack physical dexterity, may have a limited ability to speak the English language, or simply may be reluctant to submit to subjective assessments by a police officer. Therefore, we conclude that a defendant's refusal to submit to field sobriety tests is not evidence of consciousness of guilt.
  • A defendant's refusal to submit to field sobriety tests may have some relevance in a police officer's assessment of probable cause to arrest that defendant for driving under the influence of alcohol. When other facts show a driver's consumption of alcohol and the discernable effect of such consumption on the driver's mental or physical state, the driver's refusal to perform field sobriety tests is circumstantial evidence tending to show the driver's awareness that his consumption of alcohol would affect his ability to perform such tests. Accordingly, in determining whether a police officer had probable cause to arrest a defendant for driving under the influence of alcohol, a court may consider the driver's refusal to perform field sobriety tests when such refusal is accompanied by evidence of the driver's alcohol consumption and its discernable effect on the driver's mental or physical state.
We have client meeting locations in Fairfax Prince William Richmond Loudoun Virginia Beach Fredericksburg Lynchburg

Contact our law firm today to speak with a lawyer today about your traffic ticket.  An attorney from our firm will do his best to help you.

Our law firm has the necessary experience to assist you with this matter.  We will do our absolute best to help you get the best result possible based on the facts of your case.

Disclaimer:

These summaries are provided by the SRIS Law Group.  They represent the firm’s unofficial views of the Justices’ opinions.  The original opinions should be consulted for their authoritative content.
Labels:

Our Phone #

Prince William Virginia
Prince William 703-278-0405
Click here to call us toll free Sris Lawyer Click here to call us toll free

Social Icons

Powered by Blogger.