In 2025, our client was charged with Driving Under the Influence, 3rd offense, in Wilson County, Tennessee. Our client had two prior convictions from more than seven years ago during what some people call “the stupid years”. The point being that we all know someone who made many mistakes between 18-24 but when that person is 30, you may find it hard to believe they are the same person. In this case, our client was pulled over after law enforcement received a complaint of “failure to maintain a lane”. An officer located a vehicle matching the description parked in a nearby parking lot. The officer reported the odor of alcohol and slurred speech. The officer had our client exit his vehicle, questioned about alcohol, and administered standardized field sobriety tests. The officer reported clues of impairment on each of the three tests. The officer placed our client under arrest for DUI. The officer chose to read the Tennessee Blood Consent Advisement and purported to have received consent for a voluntary blood draw. The client was taken to the hospital, and blood was extracted for testing by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The lab reported the blood sample to be above the legal limit.
In our review of the case, we pulled all the necessary documents, analyzed the dash camera and body camera video, met at length with our client to address the specific priorities for our client and family. The client proactively participated in an outpatient treatment program, proactively completed a alcohol and drug assessment, obtained letters of character from his employer and sponsor, obtained meeting logs of continued AA meetings, attended classes related to Driving Under the Influence, and spent time at a jail alternative facility.
These accomplishments along with the legal issues that were presented throughout our representation, the case was ultimately resolved without a DUI conviction. A guilty plea was entered to a lesser charge which protected our client’s license and his job. A very positive resolution for the client.