DUI Attorney · Aiken, SC

What are the consequences if you are convicted of DUI?

A conviction, whether it is a guilty plea or a conviction at trial, could mean:

• Job loss
• A mandatory minimum jail sentence
• Steep fines and court costs
• SR-22 insurance requirements
• Inability to find meaningful employment
• ADSAP (alcohol and drug safety action program)
• License suspension or habitual traffic offender status
• Mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device (IID) on your vehicle
• A permanent criminal record that cannot be expunged

The Process for a DUI Arrest and Prosecution in Aiken, SC

The state’s best evidence in a DUI prosecution is often 1) the roadside and Datamaster room videos, 2) admissions that the defendant makes to the officer during their arrest, and 3) blood alcohol test results.

The officer will usually try to get you to talk while they are placing you under arrest and transporting you to the jail or the Datamaster facility.

On the roadside, they will attempt to get you to perform field sobriety tests on the dashcam video. At the jail or police station, they will try to give you a breathalyzer test.

You were not required to undergo roadside field sobriety tests, but if you refused, you were likely to be arrested.

And if there was any chance that the video would hurt your case, you should’ve politely declined.

You also did not have to take the breathalyzer test.

You have the right to refuse the breath test, but when you do, your license will be suspended under SC’s implied consent laws.

Of course, if you take the breath test and the result is .15 or greater, your license will still be suspended.

You did not have to answer any questions or engage in small talk with the arresting officer or Datamaster operator.

In fact, it’s best not to talk to anyone about your case until you speak to a DUI lawyer in Aiken, SC.

Assuming you were charged with DUI or DUAC first offense in Aiken County, you were given an “initial court date” when you were released on bond.

Once you retain a DUI attorney and the attorney requests a jury trial, that court date is canceled, and you will probably not have another court date until your case appears on the jury trial roster.

Call DUI lawyer Kent Collins at the Kent Collins Law Firm immediately after your arrest, and get an experienced DUI attorney with a proven record of results.

Do not plead guilty if you’ve been arrested for DUI in Aiken, SC. 

Do not agree to anything, do not plead guilty, do not speak to police or prosecutors about your case, and ask for your DUI attorney if they attempt to question you.

Make sure to contact Aiken County DUI lawyer Kent Collins before your initial court date to avoid missing important deadlines for your trial and hearing requests.

This is because your jury trial request, preliminary hearing request, or implied consent hearing request may have critical deadlines.

A Former Prosecutor and DUI Attorney in Aiken, SC

Although Kent Collins is a former prosecutor, he now helps ordinary people like you fight DUI charges in Aiken, SC.

He knows the local courts, prosecutors, judges, and many of the officers involved in DUI cases in Aiken.

Kent also knows how to challenge the allegations in a DUI case, including both the criminal case and the administrative case against you if your license has been suspended under SC’s implied consent laws.

Last but not least, Kent knows the tricks the police and prosecutor may use to get you to make damaging statements, provide evidence against yourself, or plead guilty to your DUI charges.