A DUI Lawyer in Pekin IL with Experienced Legal Counsel
It’s common, for someone arrested for the first time on charges of DUI, to want to take whatever deal is offered to make the whole thing go away. People often feel embarrassed, ashamed and unhappy with themselves for such a lapse in judgment leading them to get caught behind the wheel after too many drinks or other substances.
When they feel this bad about themselves, they also may be more willing to pay a hefty fine, go to jail and lose their license.
Here’s where a DUI lawyer in Pekin IL can be useful. If we take you on as a client after a free consultation, we’ll encourage you to fight these charges with the defense we provide.
We’ll start by getting to know you and your background, including any past traffic or alcohol-related charges or convictions. If it is truly your first offense for this type of crime, we are often able to convince a judge or a prosecutor to allow you to plead to a less serious charge. Sometimes, we can even negotiate for the suspension of charges if a drug or alcohol program might be more appropriate.
With you as a client, we’ll confidentially discuss different strategies that can be used in your defense. We’ll also talk about common strategies prosecutors sometimes use to convince suspects, juries and even judges that there’s a strong case against you. This isn’t always the case!
A DUI lawyer in Pekin IL familiar with Illinois traffic and criminal laws can also provide the tools to help you avoid getting your license suspended or at least have it done so for a shorter amount of time.
Not everyone knows that state law does require law enforcement to take someone’s license away if they fail an alcohol or drug test or refuse to take one. This penalty can be challenging for our clients who may need their license to work, attend school or support their families.
Defense Options
The legal team at Schierer & Ritchie, LLC, brings more than 30 years of criminal law experience for our clients. When you need a DUI lawyer in Pekin IL, we can help provide a variety of defense services, including questioning the process and procedure for how you were arrested.
This can include getting information about the proper calibration and usage of any tools that officers used in the process of your arrest. For instance, the Breathalyzer may not have been appropriately configured, or blood drawn wasn’t done correctly. Or, the traffic stop or probable cause may not have been handled in an appropriate manner.
Although officers may appear confident in their findings at first, a closer examination may show that mistakes were made, which may be large enough to raise enough doubt about everything you’re accused of.
For more information about our DUI services or to arrange a free legal consultation, please call (309) 839-2024 or visit our East Peoria location at 1009 Illini Drive.