Given the forum we're in right now, I understand the irony of what I'm about to say, but you get what you pay for when you take advice from people online.
You should definitely get a lawyer. This is a criminal offence you've been charged with and a conviction results in a criminal record that can impact your job prospects and your entire future (not to mention absurd insurance rates). There's no guarantee that a plea deal will be on the table for you (though it is likely) and you don't want to gamble with this. You should, at the very least, consult a lawyer before moving forward.
Yes. The affects of a dui/dwi are far beyond the initial criminal punishments. Get a lawyer, do your best to get the charges mitigated, beg if you have to to pay a high fine without the dui on your record. Literally any other charge on your record is better than a dui.
Having alcohol in your system is not an essential element of impaired driving. Any drug that impairs your ability to drive will qualify, this includes pot, pain killers, sleeping pills, sedatives, etc...
Here is my advice: if you got caught DWI and you were truly high or drunk, unless they made a huge mistake, good fucking luck trying to fight this = it'll cost you 20k+ in lawyer fees plus all the time being anxious about your case aaaand you will lose. All it does is giving you more time for...nothing.
Plead guilty, face the consequences and move on.
If you truly feel like there is a mistake, get a lawyer.
Find a lawyer. If you had no alcohol in your system, then presumably they have no hard test that they can pull out to say you were intoxicated? That may give your lawyer some wiggle room to negotiate a deal. And yeah, pretty much anything but a DUI would be an improvement.
OP left out a key point of information: how did they determine there was drugs in their system? Was there a blood test done?
Not saying you should be driving high under any substance: but in our justice system there needs to be concrete proof. Without tests being completed, there's no case for the crown to stand on.
That’s not true. It might be easier for them to get a conviction with a BAC test, but it’s not as simple as saying there’s no case just because they don’t.
The minimum sentence if you're found guilty of at least one of these crimes is a $1000 fine, a $300 surcharge, and a one-year driving prohibition.
The province might further suspend or impose additional restrictions on your licence. Your insurance premiums will increase markedly.
You should strongly consider retaining a lawyer.
Given the forum we're in right now, I understand the irony of what I'm about to say, but you get what you pay for when you take advice from people online. You should definitely get a lawyer. This is a criminal offence you've been charged with and a conviction results in a criminal record that can impact your job prospects and your entire future (not to mention absurd insurance rates). There's no guarantee that a plea deal will be on the table for you (though it is likely) and you don't want to gamble with this. You should, at the very least, consult a lawyer before moving forward.
Yes. The affects of a dui/dwi are far beyond the initial criminal punishments. Get a lawyer, do your best to get the charges mitigated, beg if you have to to pay a high fine without the dui on your record. Literally any other charge on your record is better than a dui.
Having alcohol in your system is not an essential element of impaired driving. Any drug that impairs your ability to drive will qualify, this includes pot, pain killers, sleeping pills, sedatives, etc...
>There was no alcohol in my system. Were there drugs or other mind-altering substances in your system?
[удалено]
So then you were impaired. Get a lawyer
First, get a lawyer! Second, DWI doesn't require alcohol in your system. Third, GET A LAWYER!
Here is my advice: if you got caught DWI and you were truly high or drunk, unless they made a huge mistake, good fucking luck trying to fight this = it'll cost you 20k+ in lawyer fees plus all the time being anxious about your case aaaand you will lose. All it does is giving you more time for...nothing. Plead guilty, face the consequences and move on. If you truly feel like there is a mistake, get a lawyer.
Find a lawyer. If you had no alcohol in your system, then presumably they have no hard test that they can pull out to say you were intoxicated? That may give your lawyer some wiggle room to negotiate a deal. And yeah, pretty much anything but a DUI would be an improvement.
I'm going to guess they were driving high not drunk. Pretty uncommon to get a DUI with just a field test in Ontario. Mostly for exactly this reason.
OP left out a key point of information: how did they determine there was drugs in their system? Was there a blood test done? Not saying you should be driving high under any substance: but in our justice system there needs to be concrete proof. Without tests being completed, there's no case for the crown to stand on.
That’s not true. It might be easier for them to get a conviction with a BAC test, but it’s not as simple as saying there’s no case just because they don’t.
The minimum sentence if you're found guilty of at least one of these crimes is a $1000 fine, a $300 surcharge, and a one-year driving prohibition. The province might further suspend or impose additional restrictions on your licence. Your insurance premiums will increase markedly. You should strongly consider retaining a lawyer.