What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
Ohio
Okay I need advice from anyone that can help... I had the worst 24 hours of my life on April 3rd/4th...
I have never been in trouble, and have never even had a speeding ticket. Up until Friday. I was leaving work and was 30 minutes late to a work meeting and I got pulled over for going 50 in a 35. The president of my company said he will have his lawyer help me with that. First ticket ever...But I'll have help getting out of that so no problem.
Heres where the problem starts...
I drove that night with 2 other friends to go to Slippery Rock University to visit friends from home that go there. We arrived around 1am and I had about 3 beers, maybe 4 at the VERY most. At around 3:30am our friend Adam needed to get picked up from the dorms so I drove from my friends apartment to the dorms which is a 2 minute drive to pick him up. I felt I was fine, I didnt feel drunk at all because I wasn't. I weigh about 140 and it takes more than 3 beers to even get me tipsy. I know my limits.
We arrived at the dorm and I was unaware that there were 15 minute guest parking spots where you can pull into if you are waiting for someone so I just pulled up on the side of the parking lot by where the walkway to his dorm was, put the car in park but kept my foot on the brake because my hazard lights dont work. A SUV pulled up behind me and I waved for them to go around, and then I saw flashing lights. It was a Slippery Rock University cop and I was being pulled over. I handed the cigarette I was smoking to the girl in the passenger seat and I got my license, registration and proof of insurance ready. He came up to my window and I handed him everything and then he asked how old I was and I told him I was 20. He then asked me to get out of the vehicle.
He took me in front of his car and began to question me. He asked where we were going and what we were doing. I told him we were waiting on a friend, Adam, to come down from his dorm because we were picking him up. He then told me that there were 15 minute guest parking spots I should have been in and I told him that I was unaware of those because I do not go to school there and was just visiting from out of town. He asked me how much I had to drink and I told him I had a beer or two a few hours ago. He asked me if I would submit to a PVT and I said yes. Then another cop showed up.
He got the device ready and I ended up blowing a .077. Then he had me go to the sidewalk to do some more field sobriety tests. First I did the pen test, which I passed. Next he had me walk a straight line one foot in front of the other for 9 steps, pivot on my left foot, then take 9 steps back. It was freezing and windy out and I may have wobbled once but very little. Next I had to stand on one foot and hold the other foot 6 inches off the ground with my toe pointed and count by one thousands until he told me to stop. I passed that with flying colors and made it up to 25 one thousand and then he told me to stop.
He then asked me if there was anyone in the vehicle that would be able to drive it to save me a towing charge. I told him Ashley, the passenger should be able to. He then had the other cop go up to the vehicle and breathalize her to make sure she was sober so that she would be able to drive my car back. She told me after that the breathalizer wouldnt work because it was too cold so that the cop even tried to do it in the vehicle and it still wouldnt work. But they allowed her to drive my vehicle.
The cop that had tested me walked me over to the SUV, asked me if I had anything sharp on me that would poke him and I said no other than some bracelets that were around my wrist. He then told me to put my hands behind my back and that I was being placed under arrest for driving under the influence.
He helped me up into the back of the vehicle and then he drove me to the Slippery Rock University police station. We were talking the whole way there and he ended up being very nice. We were joking around about how much handcuffs really hurt and how ironic it is that I got my first speeding ticket today on top of all of this. He told me that my back left tire looked like it was going flat and I said I was unaware of it and thanked him for letting me know. We then talked about my car, when i got it, etc...It was a good conversation.
When i got to the police station he took off the handcuffs and told me that if i started acting out he would have to put them back on and tie me to the bench. I said okay and quietly had a seat on the bench. He started filling out paperwork. He told me that in 20 minutes he had to do another breathalizer and that it would go down if i was telling the truth that i had my last drink hours ago. He then told me that legal limit in PA is .08 but for minors it is .02 and that it would equal about half a shot. He then told me that he would have to call my mother because since im not 21 im considered a minor and that he would have to let her know of the Underage Consumption charge but that he didnt have to make her aware of the Driving Under the Influence charge. He said he would finish his reports around 7am and that he had to make 4 other calls and that she would be the last person he called so that it might be best if i give her a heads up before he talks to her. He then told me that legally he should put me in jail overnight and they would have to wake up the magistrate and i would have to go on camera in front of them and then they would contact a bail bondsman and post bond for me. He then said he should do that because if I didnt come back to PA to show up for court then they would have to go after me. I told him that i have friends up here so its a gurantee that I would be back. He then said he would let my friend Ashley pick me up, even though he might get in trouble for letting me go... That didnt seem to make sense to me.
After time had passed we went in another room and he had me re-do a breathalizer twice on a large machine. He told me that if i didnt blow hard enough it would count as refusal and that all the charges he made aware of me would happen (12 month license suspension for refusal...etc)
The first reading was a .059 and the second one was a .058. He said the lower of the numbers would stick so I would have a .058...which is lower than what i blew at first which was a .077. A pink paper printed out of the machine that listed all of my information, vehicle information, time of arrest, arresting officer, and had my breathalizer scores.
He then did my "mug shots" but i thought it was weird he took my pictures on his I-phone, not a real camera. He also copied my drivers license, and took a picture of my proof of insurance and my registration.
Next he had me do my fingerprints....He had me do 3 different sets. One for Federal, one for State, and then one for County. After that he had to go through more paperwork. He started off by reading me my rights and i had to initial and sign that paper when he was done. Then he went through another paper that asked me a bunch of questions. He then told me that hopefully i would be accepted into the program where i would have to do the classes but that he wasnt sure with me living out of state and not being a student if i would be accepted.
Eventually my friend Ashley picked me up, she showed ID and i was released to her. I left with my insurance card, registration, drivers license, and that pink paper that printed out of the machine. He said I should be receiving everything in the mail by Wednesday with my court dates and charges and that it would be best to try and contact a lawyer by then. He told me would be getting three charges. Underage Consumption of Alcohol, Driving Under the Influence and Driving Under the Influence being a Minor.
Shouldn't I have left with a ticket or something other than just the print out of the breathalizer machine? And he told me he had to make a guardian aware of the Underage Consumption charge because since im only 20 im considered a minor...but yet he never asked for a phone number to reach her at and she said that she has yet to receive a call.
So now i have to wait to get everything in the mail. But what do you think the consequences will be, what am i looking at?
Please help!
Ohio
Okay I need advice from anyone that can help... I had the worst 24 hours of my life on April 3rd/4th...
I have never been in trouble, and have never even had a speeding ticket. Up until Friday. I was leaving work and was 30 minutes late to a work meeting and I got pulled over for going 50 in a 35. The president of my company said he will have his lawyer help me with that. First ticket ever...But I'll have help getting out of that so no problem.
Heres where the problem starts...
I drove that night with 2 other friends to go to Slippery Rock University to visit friends from home that go there. We arrived around 1am and I had about 3 beers, maybe 4 at the VERY most. At around 3:30am our friend Adam needed to get picked up from the dorms so I drove from my friends apartment to the dorms which is a 2 minute drive to pick him up. I felt I was fine, I didnt feel drunk at all because I wasn't. I weigh about 140 and it takes more than 3 beers to even get me tipsy. I know my limits.
We arrived at the dorm and I was unaware that there were 15 minute guest parking spots where you can pull into if you are waiting for someone so I just pulled up on the side of the parking lot by where the walkway to his dorm was, put the car in park but kept my foot on the brake because my hazard lights dont work. A SUV pulled up behind me and I waved for them to go around, and then I saw flashing lights. It was a Slippery Rock University cop and I was being pulled over. I handed the cigarette I was smoking to the girl in the passenger seat and I got my license, registration and proof of insurance ready. He came up to my window and I handed him everything and then he asked how old I was and I told him I was 20. He then asked me to get out of the vehicle.
He took me in front of his car and began to question me. He asked where we were going and what we were doing. I told him we were waiting on a friend, Adam, to come down from his dorm because we were picking him up. He then told me that there were 15 minute guest parking spots I should have been in and I told him that I was unaware of those because I do not go to school there and was just visiting from out of town. He asked me how much I had to drink and I told him I had a beer or two a few hours ago. He asked me if I would submit to a PVT and I said yes. Then another cop showed up.
He got the device ready and I ended up blowing a .077. Then he had me go to the sidewalk to do some more field sobriety tests. First I did the pen test, which I passed. Next he had me walk a straight line one foot in front of the other for 9 steps, pivot on my left foot, then take 9 steps back. It was freezing and windy out and I may have wobbled once but very little. Next I had to stand on one foot and hold the other foot 6 inches off the ground with my toe pointed and count by one thousands until he told me to stop. I passed that with flying colors and made it up to 25 one thousand and then he told me to stop.
He then asked me if there was anyone in the vehicle that would be able to drive it to save me a towing charge. I told him Ashley, the passenger should be able to. He then had the other cop go up to the vehicle and breathalize her to make sure she was sober so that she would be able to drive my car back. She told me after that the breathalizer wouldnt work because it was too cold so that the cop even tried to do it in the vehicle and it still wouldnt work. But they allowed her to drive my vehicle.
The cop that had tested me walked me over to the SUV, asked me if I had anything sharp on me that would poke him and I said no other than some bracelets that were around my wrist. He then told me to put my hands behind my back and that I was being placed under arrest for driving under the influence.
He helped me up into the back of the vehicle and then he drove me to the Slippery Rock University police station. We were talking the whole way there and he ended up being very nice. We were joking around about how much handcuffs really hurt and how ironic it is that I got my first speeding ticket today on top of all of this. He told me that my back left tire looked like it was going flat and I said I was unaware of it and thanked him for letting me know. We then talked about my car, when i got it, etc...It was a good conversation.
When i got to the police station he took off the handcuffs and told me that if i started acting out he would have to put them back on and tie me to the bench. I said okay and quietly had a seat on the bench. He started filling out paperwork. He told me that in 20 minutes he had to do another breathalizer and that it would go down if i was telling the truth that i had my last drink hours ago. He then told me that legal limit in PA is .08 but for minors it is .02 and that it would equal about half a shot. He then told me that he would have to call my mother because since im not 21 im considered a minor and that he would have to let her know of the Underage Consumption charge but that he didnt have to make her aware of the Driving Under the Influence charge. He said he would finish his reports around 7am and that he had to make 4 other calls and that she would be the last person he called so that it might be best if i give her a heads up before he talks to her. He then told me that legally he should put me in jail overnight and they would have to wake up the magistrate and i would have to go on camera in front of them and then they would contact a bail bondsman and post bond for me. He then said he should do that because if I didnt come back to PA to show up for court then they would have to go after me. I told him that i have friends up here so its a gurantee that I would be back. He then said he would let my friend Ashley pick me up, even though he might get in trouble for letting me go... That didnt seem to make sense to me.
After time had passed we went in another room and he had me re-do a breathalizer twice on a large machine. He told me that if i didnt blow hard enough it would count as refusal and that all the charges he made aware of me would happen (12 month license suspension for refusal...etc)
The first reading was a .059 and the second one was a .058. He said the lower of the numbers would stick so I would have a .058...which is lower than what i blew at first which was a .077. A pink paper printed out of the machine that listed all of my information, vehicle information, time of arrest, arresting officer, and had my breathalizer scores.
He then did my "mug shots" but i thought it was weird he took my pictures on his I-phone, not a real camera. He also copied my drivers license, and took a picture of my proof of insurance and my registration.
Next he had me do my fingerprints....He had me do 3 different sets. One for Federal, one for State, and then one for County. After that he had to go through more paperwork. He started off by reading me my rights and i had to initial and sign that paper when he was done. Then he went through another paper that asked me a bunch of questions. He then told me that hopefully i would be accepted into the program where i would have to do the classes but that he wasnt sure with me living out of state and not being a student if i would be accepted.
Eventually my friend Ashley picked me up, she showed ID and i was released to her. I left with my insurance card, registration, drivers license, and that pink paper that printed out of the machine. He said I should be receiving everything in the mail by Wednesday with my court dates and charges and that it would be best to try and contact a lawyer by then. He told me would be getting three charges. Underage Consumption of Alcohol, Driving Under the Influence and Driving Under the Influence being a Minor.
Shouldn't I have left with a ticket or something other than just the print out of the breathalizer machine? And he told me he had to make a guardian aware of the Underage Consumption charge because since im only 20 im considered a minor...but yet he never asked for a phone number to reach her at and she said that she has yet to receive a call.
So now i have to wait to get everything in the mail. But what do you think the consequences will be, what am i looking at?
Please help!