Looking for a DUI lawyer in Newberry, SC?
Kent Collins’ DUI defense law firm has the experience you need to handle your DUI charges in Newberry, SC, including:
- Driving under the influence (DUI),
- Driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration (DUAC),
- Felony DUI with great bodily injury or death,
- DUI license suspensions and implied consent hearings, and
- Child endangerment and other DUI-related charges.
A Former Prosecutor and DUI Attorney in Newberry, SC
Kent Collins is a former prosecutor who now helps ordinary people fight when they have been accused of crimes, including driving under the influence charges in Newberry, SC.
Kent knows the local courts, the prosecutors, the judges, and many of the officers who are involved in DUI cases in Newberry, and he 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.
When you retain Kent Collins to defend you against allegations of DUI, Kent’s goal is to win your case, plain and simple.
Whether that means a dismissal of your charges, a negotiated plea agreement to a traffic offense that doesn’t result in a license suspension, or a jury trial, your Newberry, SC, DUI lawyer will do everything legally and ethically within his power to help you avoid the negative consequences of a DUI conviction, which could include:
- Jail time,
- Job loss,
- Inability to find meaningful employment,
- Steep fines and court costs,
- License suspension or habitual traffic offender status,
- Mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device (IID) on your vehicle, and
- A permanent criminal record that cannot be expunged.
If you’ve been arrested for DUI or a DUI-related offense, don’t plead guilty.
Don’t talk to the police or prosecutor until you have met with Kent Collins because you may have options you are unaware of and defenses that will allow your attorney to get your case dismissed or win an acquittal at trial.
The Process for a DUI Arrest
and Prosecution in Newberry, SC
If you are arrested for DUI in Newberry, SC, the officer is going to attempt to get you talking in the hopes of getting you to make damaging statements on the video. They will attempt to get you to complete roadside field sobriety tests, and then they will attempt to get you to take a breathalyzer test at the station or at the jail.
If you are charged with DUI first offense in the magistrate or the municipal court, you will have an initial court date soon after your arrest – call your Newberry, SC DUI lawyer before your initial court date. You may need to request a jury trial before that day.
You may also have an implied consent license suspension – take your paperwork to DUI attorney Kent Collins immediately after your arrest. There is a time limit for you to request an administrative/ implied consent hearing to get your license back.
Most importantly, do not plead guilty.
The officer and/or the prosecutor may want you to plead guilty, but they may not tell you that, if you do, there is a mandatory minimum jail sentence, that you may have to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle, that you must enroll in ADSAP, and that you must carry SR-22 insurance for three years or more.
They may not tell you that a DUI conviction in South Carolina is permanent – it cannot be expunged later. The State can hold a conviction against you for 10 years. If you get another DUI within 10 years, it will be your second.
Call our DUI lawyer at the Kent Collins Law Firm immediately after your arrest, and get an experienced DUI attorney on your case who has a proven record of results.
READY TO SPEAK WITH AN ATTORNEY?
Get your case evaluated by a real attorney at no cost to you.
CLIENTS HAVE SAID
Common Questions for
DUI Attorneys in Newberry
Is it possible to beat DUI charges?
As with other types of criminal charges, we routinely get DUI charges dismissed for our clients based on:
- Insufficient evidence,
- The officer’s failure to follow the mandatory videotape law,
- The results of an independent defense investigation, or
- Constitutional violations committed by law enforcement.
If your case is not dismissed before trial, it may be possible to negotiate a plea agreement to a traffic violation other than driving under the influence, or it may be possible to win your case at trial.
Every case is different, however – call us for a free consultation about the facts of your case.
Will a DUI conviction go in my record?
DUI convictions can never be expunged in South Carolina, because they are considered a traffic offense. If you don’t want the DUI on your record, you must fight the charges “on the front end,” getting them dismissed, negotiating a “rewrite” of your ticket, or winning your case at trial.
What if I refused to blow?
If you refuse the breathalyzer/ Datamaster test, your license is suspended under SC’s implied consent laws. You can then request an administrative hearing and get a temporary alcohol license (TAL) to drive on until your hearing date.
What if I did blow?
If you take the breathalyzer test, and the result is .15 or greater, your license is still suspended under SC’s implied consent laws, and you must request an administrative hearing and get a temporary alcohol license (TAL) to drive on until your hearing date.
If the result is less than .15, your license is not immediately suspended, but the BAC result will be used as evidence against you at your trial.
Experience Matters
Kent Collins is a former prosecutor who has extensive experience in criminal law as both a prosecutor and a DUI lawyer in private practice.
His experience and qualifications include:
- Handling thousands of criminal cases ranging from speeding tickets to murder charges and including DUI charges, DUAC charges, and other DUI-related offenses,
- Years of experience defending clients against DUI allegations in private practice,
- Experience as a prosecutor in Orangeburg and Lexington Counties,
- He is an active member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (SCACDL), and The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL).
- He regularly attends training sessions for DUI defense, criminal defense, and trial practice.
Were You Arrested for DUI in Newberry, S.C.?
If you’ve been charged with a DUI, then you should speak with a DUI attorney in Newberry, SC right away. Not every case ends in conviction. Some steps involved are time sensitive so it’s important that you don’t delay.
READY TO SPEAK WITH AN ATTORNEY?
Get your case evaluated by a real attorney at no cost to you.