Got arrested for my 1st DUI offense in Atlanta Georgia day ago and I really need advice!

[Georgia_Boy]

This month has been very rough for me. I ended up losing my job earlier this month. I've been looking for employment but no luck so far. A day ago, I was feeling sorry for myself and being stupid , I decided to go to the liquor store where I purchased a pint of Taaka vodka with juice.I then proceeded to go to a gas station get a cup of ice, mix the vodka with juice and decided to drive around while drinking . Driving around I ran a stop sign in Fulton county and that's when a cop pulled me over. He asked me if I had been drinking and I said yes and that's when he told me to get out, he searched my car and found the opened pint of vodka. To be honest I didn't feel intoxicated, I wasn't stumbling drunk, I had a little buzz but the bottle wasn't fully finished and this was only a pint bottle.I'm aware that I'll still be in trouble anyway for have an open container.He told me to walk a straight line in which I thought I did ok but apparently not according to him, He then took a picture of the bottle and poured the rest of it out.I was very cooperative and didn't dispute with the officer. He towed my car he proceeded to put me in handcuffs. He asked me if I wanted to take a breathalyzer and I agreed but when he searched, he claimed he didn't have one on him. The facility I was at claim they didn't have anyone available to do one for me either. He still charged me with DUI and reckless driving.I was booked and placed in a cell. Luckily a relative was nice enough to bail me out and get my car out of towing. This is my first serious charge and I've never been in trouble with the law and I'm 38 years old. I'm stressed because now I'm unemployed and now I have this charge to worry about, now my license is taken away from me meaning it's harder for me to find transportation and to find a job smh. My court date is in a few weeks and I'm nervous. I wonder if it's possible to dispute my dui at least. Now it's going to be even harder to find work especially if I get a dui charge on my record. I don't even have income coming in right now so I'm really stressed on how I should go about this. Anyone have any positive advice on what to expect and what I should do given my situation? Is it possible to dispute a dui charge if a breathalyzer test wasn't done? Like I said before it was the officer and the facility that claimed they didn't have one. Also could a pint of vodka 40% proof even be enough to get someone intoxicated?Like i said I had a slight buzz but I was very coherent, I'm wondering if anyone could tell me how much a pint of vodka could equate to on a breathalyzer test? That was the only alcohol I had within that day.

 

[zddoodah]

Also could a pint of vodka 40% proof even be enough to get someone intoxicated?Like i said I had a slight buzz but I was very coherent, I'm wondering if anyone could tell me how much a pint of vodka could equate to on a breathalyzer test?

I'm not sure what "40% proof" is supposed to mean. "Proof" is a measure of alcohol content. The number is 2x the percentage. For example, almost all vodka is 80 proof, which means it's 40% alcohol by volume.

For purposes of estimating BAC, a "drink" is generally defined to include the following:

• 12 ounces of 4.2% beer
• 4 ounces of 12-13% wine
• 1.25-1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (essentially a shot)

A pint is 16 ounces - essentially two soda cans worth. 16 / 1.25 or 1.5 = 10.67 to 12.8 "drinks."

BAC depends on body weight, and you didn't mention your weight, but 6 "drinks" in two hours is going to produce a BAC of about 0.132 in a 170 pound male. For a 230 pound male, it will give you a BAC of approximately 0.102.

Unless you have a massive tolerance for alcohol (think 1980s Motley Crue), a pint of vodka is going to render you complete bombed. If you think you only had "a slight buzz," then you didn't drink anything close to a pint of vodka or you drank it over a very long period of time.

Find yourself a good local DUI attorney. Between fines, losing your license, and increased auto insurance costs, you can't afford not to.

 

[Mark_A]

This is one situation were a DUI defense attorney is necessary and you need to get one very quickly. I know you said you don't have any money, but you better borrow some (don't steal it).

 

[Mark_A]

I wasn't stumbling drunk, I had a little buzz...

If you had any kind of buzz, then it is very likely you were over the legal limit for driving.

 

[quincy]

This month has been very rough for me. I ended up losing my job earlier this month. I've been looking for employment but no luck so far. A day ago, I was feeling sorry for myself and being stupid , I decided to go to the liquor store where I purchased a pint of Taaka vodka with juice.I then proceeded to go to a gas station get a cup of ice, mix the vodka with juice and decided to drive around while drinking . Driving around I ran a stop sign in Fulton county and that's when a cop pulled me over. He asked me if I had been drinking and I said yes and that's when he told me to get out, he searched my car and found the opened pint of vodka. To be honest I didn't feel intoxicated, I wasn't stumbling drunk, I had a little buzz but the bottle wasn't fully finished and this was only a pint bottle.I'm aware that I'll still be in trouble anyway for have an open container.He told me to walk a straight line in which I thought I did ok but apparently not according to him, He then took a picture of the bottle and poured the rest of it out.I was very cooperative and didn't dispute with the officer. He towed my car he proceeded to put me in handcuffs. He asked me if I wanted to take a breathalyzer and I agreed but when he searched, he claimed he didn't have one on him. The facility I was at claim they didn't have anyone available to do one for me either. He still charged me with DUI and reckless driving.I was booked and placed in a cell. Luckily a relative was nice enough to bail me out and get my car out of towing. This is my first serious charge and I've never been in trouble with the law and I'm 38 years old. I'm stressed because now I'm unemployed and now I have this charge to worry about, now my license is taken away from me meaning it's harder for me to find transportation and to find a job smh. My court date is in a few weeks and I'm nervous. I wonder if it's possible to dispute my dui at least. Now it's going to be even harder to find work especially if I get a dui charge on my record. I don't even have income coming in right now so I'm really stressed on how I should go about this. Anyone have any positive advice on what to expect and what I should do given my situation? Is it possible to dispute a dui charge if a breathalyzer test wasn't done? Like I said before it was the officer and the facility that claimed they didn't have one. Also could a pint of vodka 40% proof even be enough to get someone intoxicated?Like i said I had a slight buzz but I was very coherent, I'm wondering if anyone could tell me how much a pint of vodka could equate to on a breathalyzer test? That was the only alcohol I had within that day.

First, you should not be discussing your arrest publicly with anyone - not anyone online, not friends or family, and especially not the police. You have already said more than was legally healthy for you to say.

Second, you need a defense attorney. Your defense attorney will work with the facts behind your arrest and the lack of breath or blood evidence to try to reduce or dismiss the charges against you - but, realistically, the officer’s testimony could make it difficult to walk away from this unscathed.

For help finding a lawyer in your area:
https://prod.gabar.org/public/find-a-lawyer

 

[quincy]

I’m from Indiana and had a similar DUI situation. I was told that if no breathalyzer test was done, the chances of contesting the case are higher, but it’s really important to have a good lawyer.

I don’t know who told you that, but it’s not accurate. I agree with you, however, that having an attorney is important.

edit to add: I see that you returned to this thread to add a link to a law firm. Commercial links are prohibited on this forum, christian_342. It doesn’t say much about the law firm you’re advertising if they are willing to ignore the TOS of a site.