What To Do When Charged with a DWI in 2023 

What are you going to do when you are charged with a DWI in 2023? Odds are that you do not know what you are going to do because you were not expecting to get a DWI. However, you should be aware that a DWI can impact just about every facet of your life. From getting a job to dealing with having a criminal record.

If you want to learn more about what to do when you are charged with a DWI, keep reading what to do when charged with DWI because you have come to the right place! 

Tips On How To Handle DWI Charges In 2023

The Releasing Process 

You are going to be processed and booked for your charge. Oftentimes, you will be released on your own recognizance. However, this does not happen until you have been booked and processed. Keep in mind that people will only be released if they are trusted to show up for the continued court process. 

Once bail is set, you are allowed to leave once the bail is paid. If you are not trusted and have a history with the law, they may not post bail for you. Bail will not be posted until after the court hearing has happened if the judge decides that the person is trustworthy enough to come back to court. 

Write Down Everything 

You need to write everything that you remember. You want to ensure that you have before, during, and after the arrest. These details are important to get on paper because, in a few days, you might not remember the exact details. 

Keep in mind that the more details you have, the better. It is much easier for a defense attorney to represent you if they have all the details. It is suggested that you write details down for the 24 hours before the event. Also, if you made a mistake, make sure that you are telling your attorney this. 

Here are a few of the things that you should try to write down. 

• What were you doing in the hours leading up to your arrest? 
• Be honest with how much you have had to drink. (Your attorney is there to help defend you, they are not going to go against you.) 
• Was there a significant amount of time passed between drinking and the arrest? 
• Details about what was said to the officer. 
• Details about where you were pulled over. 
• Details about how you were arrested. 
• Were Miranda rights read to you? If they were, when were they read to you?
• When was the chemical test performed? How long after your last sip of alcohol?
• What was the original stop for? What did the officer say he/she pulled you over for? 
• Details about the tests that may or may not have been done.
  • Including field sobriety and breathalyzer. 

Social Media 

The second thing that you want to make sure that you do is to make all your social media profiles private. Make sure that your online status is turned off as well. 

Police and other prosecutors are going to be watching your social media. They are going to try to find incriminating evidence and make sure that your timeline is adding up. 

For example, if you are on social media and post a photo of you and your friends drinking about an hour before you were pulled over, you are going to be sorry you posted that photo. Prosecutors are going to use that photo against you in court. Be sure that your profiles are set to private. 

Find/List Witnesses 

You want to ensure that you know who was there during the time of your arrest. If there were other witnesses around, it could help your case. You also want to make sure you have people to verify where you were before you were arrested. For example, you might find someone who works at the bar and served you as a witness. 

You want to include a bartender or server who served you because they are not allowed to swerve someone who is already intoxicated. This means that they will testify and state that they did not notice you were intoxicated because legally they are not allowed to serve an already intoxicated person. This means that the bartender or server will be testifying on your side because they are not allowed to serve intoxicated persons. If they serve intoxicated persons, they could be in a lot of legal trouble. Take the time to find the server(s) and/or bartender(s) that helped you on the night that you were drinking. They are going to be your best bet for a witness. 

Hire an Attorney 

You should be looking into hiring an experienced defense attorney. This should be done within one or two days after you have been arrested. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state. However, it is best to find one that knows about DWI cases and has dealt with them before. 

Be sure that the attorney is working with you. Your attorney should not want you to take the plea bargain. Find an attorney that wants to look into your case and take the time to help you fight your case. 

What To Do When Charged With a DWI in 2023 

When you have been charged with driving under the influence in 2023, the best thing that you can do is hire the best defense attorney possible. You also want to ensure that you have all the details needed to provide an attorney. Your attorney needs all the details possible that you remember to help with your case. As stated, you should write this all down before you forget about it. 

When hiring an attorney, you need to make sure that the person you hire is knowledgeable. Take the time to do your research and find someone who will work with you and will not settle for a plea bargain. That is why you should hire Barkemeyer Law Firm if you do not know what to do when charged with a DWI in 2023. Schedule a consultation today!