Maryland driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI) charges are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine for a first offense. Along with a possible jail term, it can also affect your license status, leading to a suspension or even a revocation of your license if it is not dealt with correctly. You also were probably charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol per se and the lesser offense of driving while impaired by alcohol, two other related jailable offenses that you also may have been ticketed for.
By reading this, you are already taking the first step toward defending yourself from these serious charges. As your lawyer, I can immediately take steps to defend your livelihood, freedom, and right to drive. Some actions required in a Maryland driving while under the influence case have to be completed within 10 days.
To prove your guilt in a Maryland Driving While Under the Influence of Alcohol case, the State has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were driving or in actual physical control of a vehicle and that your normal coordination is impaired to a substantial degree by alcohol, which is to say they have to prove you were very drunk, rather than just slightly drunk. In a Maryland driving while impaired by alcohol charge, the State only has to prove that your normal coordination was impaired to some degree, a lower standard. The related crime of driving while under the influence of alcohol per se, also referred to as DUI per se, is proven by a test of breath or blood, and has no requirement that the state prove that your coordination was impaired.
Just because the government has good evidence that you were driving while impaired by alcohol or driving while under the influence of alcohol does not mean that they can necessarily prove your guilt at trial. I can often exclude test results, disqualify the arresting officer or breath test operator from offering certain testimony, and provide alternative explanations for circumstances that would otherwise strongly suggest your guilt.
