Oklahoma City is this big, wide, busy city with old cowboy stories and shiny government buildings and those oil wells that sit almost on the doorstep of the Capitol like they’re guarding it. When people talk about OKC, they talk about the big history, the bombing memorial with the empty chairs, the Survivor Tree that somehow didn’t give up even when everything around it broke.
So if someone gets arrested for DUI in Oklahoma City, getting help from an Oklahoma City DUI attorney is one of the smart things you can do. Hiring a lawyer is one of the ways you can safely face all that is about to hit you.
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What Happens After a DUI Arrest?
These are the things that happen after a DUI arrest in Oklahoma City:
Right After the Arrest
So, the police stop you. They ask questions, and you’re supposed to be polite and calm, even when you’re shaking inside.
And no matter what you say, or if you’re scared, they might still think you’re drunk or high or something. They might want you to do little tests, e.g, ask you to try walking, standing, or touching your nose.
But you don’t legally have to do field sobriety tests. You can say no nicely. Still, saying no won’t always stop them from deciding to arrest you anyway.
Then they ask for BAC testing. Refusing these tests can get your license suspended even before you get to court.
That is why you need a lawyer early.
You Might Spend the Night in Jail
After the officer arrests you, they take your car away to a yard somewhere. And then you go to jail. You sit there while they take your picture, your fingerprints, and your stuff.
Sometimes you can get out fast if you pay bail or get a bondsman. A bondsman takes a percentage of the bail but helps you get out quicker.
If the judge decides to release you on your own recognizance, that means they just trust you to come back to court. But not every county does that. Some take days to decide.
When you finally get out, you still have to get your car back from the impound. And that’s annoying because every hour the car sits there, the fees get higher.
You Would Likely Have to Face a Civil Case
When you get a DUI, you don’t just have a criminal case. You also have a civil case about your driver’s license. The worst part is that you only have 30 days to save your license. If you miss the deadline, your license can be suspended automatically.
Don’t think that you can wait till you appear in court because by then it would be too late.
Service Oklahoma handles the civil part. They can suspend or revoke your license even if you haven’t been found guilty yet. You have to request a hearing, and honestly, it’s confusing. You could accidentally ask for a modification instead of a hearing, and that’s basically the same as asking them to go ahead and suspend your license.
And no one wants that. This is all the more reason you should hire a lawyer.
How a Lawyer Helps You With Your DUI Case
A lawyer does a ton of stuff you might not even think about. And since most people arrested for DUI have never been in trouble before, they have no idea what to do first.
Here’s what lawyers do:
And sometimes, they even show up in court for you so you don’t have to stand there alone.
