My Complaint Has Incorrect Information In It

I have a lot of client's telling me that they have been charged with an OWI or other crimes and that they have read the Complaint (the charging document) and it has false informtion in it. What can they do?

Well, first you must determine whether or not the information is material to the sufficiency of the Complaint, i.e., but for that possibly incorect information, would they have enough to charge you? If the answer is yes, then disregard the fact that you believe it to be incorrect. If, however, you believe that without that information in the charging document the case would have no merit or be insufficent to charge you, then you may move the court for an evidentiary hearing, via a Franks/Mann motion. In bringing this motion you are challenging the sufficiency of the charging document. In attacking the sufficiency of the Complaint you should file a motion and affidavit to support the motion. You, however, do not have to show that the misrepresentation was intentional or reckless, so long as "but for the misstatement or omission being included" there would not be probable cuase.

So, there are times where, due to error, you may be able to get your case dismissed.

How Do I Get My License Reinstated After Suspension

Generally, you need only pay the reinstatement fee, which is about $50, no application or test is required. Remember, suspension will continue until the reinstatement fee is paid.

What Do You Mean The Legal Limit Is 0.02 not 0.08

After you have accumulated three (3) OWI, BAC or other related and applicable offenses, then you BAC limit goes from a 0.08% to 0.02%. So, if you are pulled over and cited for a 4th offense, it will be based upon a BAC limit of 0.02.

There are sometimes ways around this. For examlple, if you didn't have an attorney on your 2nd or 3rd offense, you may be able to get one of the prior convictions suppressed and make therefore turn the 4th offense into a 3rd offense, and, then the BAC level goes back up to 0.08%.

It is important to gave an attorney who knows how to accomplish this! So, pick your attorney carefully.

Was I Pulled Over Illegally By The Police

"The officer pulled me over and told me that he had run my plates and saw that I didn't have a valid license, and that is why he said he stopped me. Then he arrested me for driving drunk...can he do that?"

Yes, an officer can run your plates and that does not violate your constitutionally protected rights to privacy. If he then establishes a reasonable suspicion that you may be intoxicated, he may extend his investigaiton and test you to determine if there is probable cause to make an arrest for OWI.

"Did the officer stop you while knowing you were the driver or because the plates were expired?" "My plate were fine, they were not expired; my license was revoked. And, NO, the officer couldn't have known it was me, he never saw me get into the car, it was the middle of the night and dark, and I have tinted windows - so, you aren't able to see in."

Well, under those circumstances, first, you may be cited for illegally tinted windows - if they are too darkly tinted. But, in this case, that is not why the officer stated he pulled you over. So, second, if the officer is unable to idenitfy you, the operator, as the person that the car is registered to, then, NO, he cann't simply pull the car over. In this case, it sounds as though the stop may have been illegal and you may be able to submit a motion to dimiss your case or suppress the test results and win your case.

How Do I Know If I Failed The Walk-And-Turn Test

First of all, you never fail these tests. Often time the word "fail" is used by police officers to indicate whether they believe you are intoxicated or not, based upon your performance on an individual Field Sobriety Test (FST). What the officer means, is whether or not you have "clues" that may indicate a certain level of intoxication.

For the Walk-And-Turn test, the officer looks for eight clues: (1) balance during instruction phase, (2) starting too soon, (3) stopping once started, (4) not touching heel-to-toe while walking, (5) stepping off of the line (or imaginary line - i.e., stumbling to the side, (6) using your arms to keep balanced, (7) turning incorrectly after step 9, and (8) taking the wrong number of steps.

It is suggested in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) manual that officers are train in accordance with that exibition of two or more clues during this test may indicate a BAC level above a 0.10 level. There is much debate on the accuracy of this, in as much, the NHTSA manual admits that if done correctly, it only has a prediction accuracy of merely 68%. This does not take into account a disability that one may be suffering from at the time of testing, or conditions, such as weather, etc. that may affect one's ability to perform such a test. Once those factors are accounted for, it many times comes down to a 50/50 coin toss, which is not statistically very convincing. When a test in no more accurate that a blind guess, it's not much use as an accurate indicator of intoxication. By itself, it's basically as valuable as the "magic 8 ball" in predicting whether someone is intoxicated.

Do I Get A Jury Trial If It's My 1st OWI Offense

You do not necessarily have a right to a jury trial in Wisconsin for an OWI 1st offense because it is not a criminal matter. However, you will generally get a jury trial if you request one in writing and pay a jury fee. Remember, though, you must request a jury trial and pay the fee within 10 days of your initial plea being entered, otherwise you will have your matter tried to the judge, which is generally not a good idea. Strategically, I would rather have a jury trial because motions will be heard prior to the day of trial, because it's too expensive and a waste to bring in a jury to if the motion to dismiss is successful. But, often times, in court trial cases, the judge will take up the motion the same day of the trial. And, if you lose on the motion, you will most likely lose at the trial.

When Can An Officer Request A PBT Test

An officer may request that you submit to a PBT test if he has established "probabe cause to believe" that you are in violation of the Implied Consent laws, for example, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant. However, you may refuse to take that specific test without violating the Implied Consent statute and without penalty. An officer does not have to have "probable cause to arrest" prior to requiring a PBT test. But, logically, he will need more than a "reasonable suspicion." Refusing to take the PBT test will not constitute the legal charge of "Refusal," for which your license may be suspended, even if the OWI/BAC charges are dismissed.