Understanding the Connecticut DUI laws and courtroom proceedings can be a challenge. If you are arrested for DUI in Connecticut:
- You will be asked to submit to a blood and alcohol concentration (BAC) test.
- Refusal to take the BAC will get your license suspended for 6 months for the 1st offense.
- If the BAC shows 0e .08 or higher, you will be held on the presumption that you were operating a motor vehicle while being under the influence of alcohol.
- If you are presumed to be under the influence while operating a motor vehicle, you will be kept in a police lock-up until you are bailed out.
Connecticut DUI: The arrest
When you are arrested for a Connecticut DUI, by law, the police department, have to report your arrest to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV then processes your arrest information and will issue a notice to you that they are planning on suspending your license. The DMV can suspend your driver’s license because of the state’s Implied Consent law, which states that whenever you drive in the State of Connecticut, you have given your permission to submit to a chemical test of your blood, breath or urine.
Connecticut DUI: Criminal Law
Under Connecticut’s criminal law, the motorist arrested for driving under the influence will receive both a summons and a court date. If a conviction is given, the following penalties must be imposed: First Offense Blood Alcohol Level of 0.08 or higher will receive a fine of $500 to $1000, jail time of six months, 48 hours mandatory minimum or six months suspended with 100 hours of public service if you choose to plea bargain and suspension of your driver’s license for one year.
Colorado DUI: Administrative Sanctions
The license suspension will be imposed in addition to criminal penalties. However, with plea bargaining the average time for license suspensions under the administrative ‘per se’ program is approximately 31 days.
- Refusal to submit to a blood, breath or urine test = suspension for six months
- Test results of .02 or higher if you are under 21= suspension for 90 days
- Test results of .08 to .16 = suspension for 90 days
- Test results of .16 or higher = suspension for 120 days
Defending your Connecticut DUI case: what not to do
- Do not drive after your license has been suspended.
- Do not think that it is “just a DUI case.”
- Do not try to handle your own DUI case.
- Do not make deals with a prosecutor without your attorney present.
Get help from a Connecticut DUI lawyer
If you have been charged with a DUI in Connecticut, you should take your charges very seriously. A DUI conviction can have long lasting consequences which can affect your future employment opportunities and even your freedom. This is why it is so important that you contact a Connecticut DUI lawyer as soon as possible.
Originally posted 2016-12-11 14:58:07.