Building a Defense for Third DUI Charges in College Park

A third DUI offense is a very serious charge, and it is treated as such in College Park, Maryland. Someone facing these charges should absolutely consult with a lawyer in College Park who has experience handling these felony charges and who can help them build a strong defense against the charges.

Nuances in Defending a Third DUI Charge

Building a defense for a third DUI offense is the basically the same as it is for a first or second offense. The attorney will fully scrutinize the stop of the vehicle, the approach of the officer, conversations, and anything that the officer said that they observed. Officers love to turn training knowledge into experience and the attorney should make sure that enthusiasm is scrutinized. Any field sobriety tests that the driver took should be scrutinized to make certain every single detail was properly done. If it was not done or explained to the individual in the proper fashion, the lawyer will try to suppress that as evidence.

The defense is looking to show that the reliability of the College Park police officer’s testimony is inconsistent and that the defense is more credible than the officer. The attorney has to be smart enough to see that and protect his clients. Additionally, if there was a breath test taken, a lawyer may try to get the score suppressed. Even if there isn’t a score, they will still try to get it suppressed. If the driver refused the breath test the defense may want to argue that is because there was no need to have the test in the first place because they did field sobriety tests and all other observations were inconsistent with someone who was under the influence.

Advantages of Hiring a Local Lawyer

If a driver is charged with a third offense DUI in College Park, they will want to have an attorney who works in the Prince George’s County courts, knows the judges, State’s Attorneys and even the officers. That individual will want to have an attorney who has practiced there and been inside those courts and courtrooms, and knows what the judge could be thinking. It is important to have someone who knows if it is safe to put the driver in front of the judge in the District Court or whether they should move them over to the Circuit Court.

These cases are too important to run the risk of hiring someone who just does not know how to work in the county. The benefit is that with the help of an experienced attorney, the defense can use that experience to help them foresee any potential issues with their defense and combat it. 

Some clients want to know what the worst case scenario is, and if the lawyer they hire is not from the area and/or doesn’t visit the area on a regular basis, then that lawyer is not going to be able to answer that question. That is where practicing in PG County on a regular basis comes into play. An attorney with that experience can tell their client what they are realistically looking at so they will be prepared. Some clients understand that and they want to take it to trial and are well aware of the penalties. Again, someone who is familiar with the system in the area will likely be better suited to answering those questions.