Bremerton Criminal Law Blog

Getting arrested is often the first step in a long and difficult journey of maintaining one's innocence. You undoubtedly did not expect to find yourself in handcuffs, but now that it has happened, you likely have an uncountable number of questions about what happened and what is going to happen.

After your arrest, the officer likely transported you to a local jail. Hopefully, your stay was short, even though you likely have a court date set for the near future. Nonetheless, rather than waiting for the day before your court date to prepare, you may want to write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of your arrest as soon as possible. Every detail you can remember could go a long way in determining whether the arrest was legal.

Like every other Port Orchard resident police pull over on suspicion of drunk driving, you will most likely have an important decision to make -- whether to participate in field sobriety tests. You know that your blood alcohol concentration can't be over the legal limit of 0.08% since you either had just one or two drinks, it has been hours since you had those drinks, or you had no drinks at all.

You want to prove that you aren't impaired, so when the officer asks you to participate in field sobriety tests, you consider doing it in order to prove you aren't drunk. However, you should probably think twice about doing so since numerous factors could make it difficult for you to pass those tests, especially the one-leg stand test. If you take the tests and fail them, you could end up under arrest for DUI or DWI. By the time you prove you aren't under the influence, you already have an arrest on your record.

Facing criminal charges is never an easy situation to find yourself in. Even though you may know that you are innocent, simply stating that fact does not always prevent formal charges from coming against you. As a result, you will likely still end up in court having to defend against the allegations.

Of course, you do have the option of maintaining your innocence during your criminal trial, and it is up to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty of the charges. Though the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, you may not want to simply sit back and allow them to attempt to prove you guilty. Instead, you will want to proactively combat their strategies with your own criminal defense presentation.

Facing accusations of any type of criminal or violent behavior can be overwhelming, especially if you know they are not true. Even if there is no validity to the claims made about you, it is important not to underestimate the potential impact that allegations of domestic violence can have on your life. If you are in this position, it is in your interests to know how to fight back and protect yourself.

Domestic violence and abuse can come in various forms, and it is a serious criminal offense. Not only is your personal reputation and other important things on the line, you are also facing the very real possibility of ending up behind bars. You will want to develop a strong defense strategy as soon as possible and take other steps that will help you preserve your interests.