This all happened in Southern California, Los Angeles.
About a week ago I was pulled over for driving a bit wobbly on my way home from a house party. I had had a few drinks but thought I had stopped and chilled out long enough to be able to drive. A detail that may be important is that I had not eaten much at all that day and I regularly do not eat much carbs if at all. It was also late (3AM-ish) and fatigue was probably a factor.
CHP showed up to take over, they asked if i'd been drinking tonight and i told them that i had a couple glasses of wine. they administered field sobriety tests which i don't feel i did too well on because i've had sciatica in my left leg before but no medical treatment to prove it (other than acupuncture), so it's difficult for me to balance on that leg as well as stretch it out fully. they gave me the breathalyzer which I failed apparently because they then mirandized me and took me to a holding facility.
Once we got there they administered the breathalyzer again, asking me to blow two more times for them. I don't recall the exact BAC number but they said it was at least 2x the legal limit of .08 which I was shocked at. Spent the night in jail and was let go OR the following afternoon.
My court date is coming up on 3/8/12 and I am wondering what the best course of action may be for me. This is my first DUI offense BUT, i am on probation for a misdemeanor battery case which I had taken a plea for around a year ago.
That case involved a then-girlfriend who had been physical with me before, in front of her friends, would slap and scratch my face to the point where I bled, and I had never laid a hand on her either before or in retaliation. Until one night when she did it again, thinking I was cheating on her and out of pure reactive instincts I shoved her back causing her to fall on her back. Something I should not have done and I should have kept my cool. Her neighbors had called the cops by this point thinking I was the one physically harming her the entire time we were arguing, so I felt that I had a weak case and took the plea. Got the probation for 3 years, did 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, abided by the restraining order (HAPPILY) and did 20 days of community labor.
So back to present day.
Court date for the DUI is coming up, and I am a bit lost as to what to do once I step into that courtroom. Plead non-guilty and then see if a lawyer/public defender can get charges reduced? My main goal is to stay out of jail, I work to make a living, and I can live if I get my license suspended and need to attend AA and DUI classes. I just happened to get involved with the wrong girl at some point (who hasn't) and made a dumb mistake involving alcohol. Any insight or tips on what to expect would be really appreciated, thank you.
About a week ago I was pulled over for driving a bit wobbly on my way home from a house party. I had had a few drinks but thought I had stopped and chilled out long enough to be able to drive. A detail that may be important is that I had not eaten much at all that day and I regularly do not eat much carbs if at all. It was also late (3AM-ish) and fatigue was probably a factor.
CHP showed up to take over, they asked if i'd been drinking tonight and i told them that i had a couple glasses of wine. they administered field sobriety tests which i don't feel i did too well on because i've had sciatica in my left leg before but no medical treatment to prove it (other than acupuncture), so it's difficult for me to balance on that leg as well as stretch it out fully. they gave me the breathalyzer which I failed apparently because they then mirandized me and took me to a holding facility.
Once we got there they administered the breathalyzer again, asking me to blow two more times for them. I don't recall the exact BAC number but they said it was at least 2x the legal limit of .08 which I was shocked at. Spent the night in jail and was let go OR the following afternoon.
My court date is coming up on 3/8/12 and I am wondering what the best course of action may be for me. This is my first DUI offense BUT, i am on probation for a misdemeanor battery case which I had taken a plea for around a year ago.
That case involved a then-girlfriend who had been physical with me before, in front of her friends, would slap and scratch my face to the point where I bled, and I had never laid a hand on her either before or in retaliation. Until one night when she did it again, thinking I was cheating on her and out of pure reactive instincts I shoved her back causing her to fall on her back. Something I should not have done and I should have kept my cool. Her neighbors had called the cops by this point thinking I was the one physically harming her the entire time we were arguing, so I felt that I had a weak case and took the plea. Got the probation for 3 years, did 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, abided by the restraining order (HAPPILY) and did 20 days of community labor.
So back to present day.
Court date for the DUI is coming up, and I am a bit lost as to what to do once I step into that courtroom. Plead non-guilty and then see if a lawyer/public defender can get charges reduced? My main goal is to stay out of jail, I work to make a living, and I can live if I get my license suspended and need to attend AA and DUI classes. I just happened to get involved with the wrong girl at some point (who hasn't) and made a dumb mistake involving alcohol. Any insight or tips on what to expect would be really appreciated, thank you.