A Pennsylvania DUI arrest can arise from many different circumstances - you may have been driving home from a restaurant, an office party or a wedding after having a few drinks and inadvertently swerved after reaching for something on the floor of your car. You may have been involved in an accident, no matter how minor. You may have been pulled over for an unrelated violation such as a broken tail light and suddenly been the subject of a drunk driving investigation.
No matter how the PA DUI investigation against you began, the arresting officer began compiling evidence against you from the moment he or she pulled behind your vehicle. However, all of this evidence is subject to challenge. The Pennsylvania DUI attorneys at Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. will seek to effectively challenge the evidence in your drunk driving case and attempt to create reasonable doubt in your guilt.
District attorneys primarily rely on four types of evidence in Pennsylvania DUI cases - your driving pattern, physical signs and symptoms of intoxication, field sobriety test results, and chemical test results. Although the district attorney will likely present evidence from each category as concrete evidence that you are guilty of Pennsylvania DUI, the truth is that some or all of this evidence is open to multiple interpretations that can create reasonable doubt in your alleged guilt.
In order to convict you of a Pennsylvania DUI, the prosecutor must prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. If even one juror harbors reasonable doubt in your guilt, you cannot be convicted of a Pennsylvania DUI. The same is true if you are being tried by a judge without a jury.
There are two charges that can be brought against you after a Pennsylvania DUI arrest - violating the state's "per se" laws by driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 percent or greater, or driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In order to prove the per se charge against you, the prosecutor must prove that you had a BAC of .08 percent or greater within a certain period of the time you were driving, not several hours later at the police station. A skilled Pennsylvania DUI attorney will aggressively challenge the result of your blood or breath test to attempt to cast doubt on your BAC within a reasonable period of the time you were driving.
The elements of your driving under the influence charge can be similarly challenged. For example, if police found you behind the wheel of your parked vehicle, it may be possible to challenge the assertion that you were driving. Similarly, the evidence used by the district attorney to prove that you were under the influence might be used by your lawyer to show that you were not impaired.
If you're facing a Pennsylvania DUI charge, you need a skilled PA DUI defense lawyer protecting your rights and freedom. The Pennsylvania DUI attorneys at Zachary B. Cooper, Attorney at Law, P.C. are experienced in every aspect of drunk driving defense, and will tailor a defense strategy to your case. Please contact us for a free consultation.