Have you been charged with a DUI (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391) in DeKalb County? If traveling through DeKalb County you may have been pulled over or stopped by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. However, there are additional police departments which may have pulled you over depending on if you were in the City of Decatur, Avondale Estates, Clarkston, Dunwoody, Tucker or Brookhaven.

Maybe you were enjoying a night out at Iberian Pig, 246, Leons, Twains or leaving Buckhead, Midtown, Atlanta High Museum of Art, or The Atlanta Botanical Gardens. You need the assistance from a DUI attorneys who are not only familiar with the DeKalb County Court System, but are also well known in the Court system.

Did the Sheriff charge you with a DUI under Alcohol, Drugs, Prescription medication, marijuana, Violation of Controlled Substances Act (V.G.C.S.A.)?

Many people think that you can only receive this type of charge for alcohol, but that isn’t true. The prosecutor has five different subsections to charge YOU and only two of them involve alcohol. The other three involve drugs (including prescription medications) glue or aerosol or toxic vapors or any combination of them.

The law offices of Michael D. Barber & Associates have extensive experience defending clients from these types of charges. Our attorneys are well versed in defending and navigating the 30-day suspension letter, the administrative courts for the Office of State Administrative Hearings, the DeKalb County State Court system and many other complicated areas within representation for YOUR charge.

  • A DUI charge is one of the most heavily used and frequently received charges in the DeKalb County Court system. Many people receive this charge who have never been in trouble.
  • Unfortunately this type of charge is also the most inadequately represented criminal defense for many people.
  • A Criminal Defense Attorney MUST have proper training to assure that YOU receive the representation for which YOU are not only looking but for which YOU are paying. This training assures proper representation for you and is another reason that YOU need an experienced attorney. That is why you need to find a DeKalb County DUI attorney who has the proper training to help you.
  • If handled improperly, a DUI charge can affect your license, your criminal history, time spent in jail, community representation and many other issues with your life.

The most typical and frequently used charge under the DUI statute is alcohol. Officers should have extensive training to properly investigate a DUI charge. The same goes for your DeKalb County attorney. They should also have the same training as the officers (or more) to properly represent YOU in court. Without an experienced lawyer, YOU will not be able to properly defend against a DeKalb County officer who has not had the proper training and made errors in evaluating YOUR arrest.

Officers should have training under Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), or Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) or Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). These three different levels of training are provided to officers by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration that any investigation into DUI is done properly and assure that citizens are properly arrested. Prior to the involvement of the tests crafted by the NHTSA officers would have you recite the alphabet backwards, pick up coins off the floor and do many other tasks that were “unregulated” and not enforceable.

Arrested for DUI in DeKalb County?

Whenever someone is arrested for a DUI, the officer is required by law to arrest them and retain their driver’s license. The officer then issues a DDS 1205 form. This form is the officer’s notice to you of the officer’s intention to suspend YOUR privileges to operate a motor vehicle. You must write a 30 day response letter to stop the suspension.

Arrests are made by either the DeKalb County Sheriff, The Department of Public Safety or a special division in the Georgia State Patrol called the Nighthawks. These charges are heard at the DeKalb County State Court. The DeKalb County State Court is located at 556 N. McDonough Street in the city of Decatur. This charge would be heard by one of 5 judges. All charges in DeKalb County are prosecuted by the DeKalb County Solicitor General Donna Coleman-Stribling.

Can my lawyer give a defense against my DUI charges? 

You’ll need the help of an experienced DUI lawyer in DeKalb County to help you with these charges. Many people don’t realize that this charge can effect the rest of their life. It would now be a part of your criminal history when you apply to rent a house, a home loan, and even promotions at work, not to mention applying for a new job.

This charge will follow you for the rest of your life and cause issues every time it “pops up.”

An experienced lawyer can help you with this charge both in how the court treats you and how it effects your future. As former prosecutors, our criminal defense attorneys know and understand that the prosecution, or in almost every case – team of prosecutors, are highly skilled and trained to get a conviction on your case.

“That means it’s time to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney who knows how to evaluate both sides of the case.  Our team of criminal defense lawyers are former prosecutors and know how to mount a proper defense for your charge.”

For a FREE consultation and evaluation of your Driving Under the Influence charges, call our firm. Our lawyers have the knowledge and skills to properly mount a defense for YOUR case.

Just because you have been charged with a DUI does not mean that you have to accept guilt. It means you need to hire an experienced attorney to mount a proper defense for your Driving Under the Influence charges.

Our offices have a 24-hour response line (404-445-8494) and someone is available to answer your call and help. Call us now for a FREE case evaluation.