If you’ve been charged with DUI in Olive Branch, MS, you’re wondering what to expect when you go to court. Not only is going to court over a criminal matter stressful enough as it is, but they don’t tell you much beforehand or when you get there. You’re left to figure out everything by yourself. You’re probably wondering what’s going to happen, what will I have to say to the judge, and even will I go back to jail?
Call Stegall Law Firm at 901-205-9894 for more information
The best thing you can do is talk to a Mississippi DUI lawyer beforehand, particularly one that has experience in Olive Branch. Your lawyer can explain the process, your possible options, and all the different results. The most important thing you need to understand about being charged with a DUI in Mississippi is that under state law it cannot simply be reduced or amended to a lesser charge. At your first court date you’ll be given your “offer,” which is the choice of pleading guilty rather than going to trial, along with some predetermined punishment which could include jail time, fines, and loss of license.
If you don’t take the offer, the case gets set for trial. I generally recommend trying the case. What do you have to lose? If you plead guilty you give yourself no chance of winning; by having a trial you at least have a chance.
Contact Stegall Law
And with the right Olive Branch DUI attorney, you might have a better chance. Your lawyer should be able to effectively cross-examine the police officer, who likely will be the state’s only proof. Your lawyer can determine if you were even legally stopped, or whether there was probable cause to arrest you for drunk driving. Your lawyer can analyze the test results if you submitted to a blood or breath test to determine alcohol level. Legal tip: those machines and their results aren’t always accurate.
It’s intimidating to go to court under any circumstance. Don’t go alone. Contact Olive Branch DUI lawyer Patrick Stegall today. Mr. Stegall is a DUI defense attorney with experience in Desoto County courts, including Olive Branch. He can be reached by phone at (901) 205-9894 or by email at pstegall@stegall-law.com.
