OVI & DUI DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN CIRCLEVILLE

If you’ve been charged with an OVI or a DUI, it’s critical that you get a Circleville, Ohio DUI lawyer to assist you throughout the process. At The O’Leary Law Office, I can help.

I have been providing criminal defense legal services for over 12 years in Circleville, Ohio, and across Pickaway, Ross, Fairfield, Madison and Fayette and Hocking Counties. As a DUI and OVI defense attorney in Circleville, I understand the DUI process and can help you get through it.

Navigating the Process With a Circleville, Ohio DUI & OVI Attorney

Being charged with an OVI/DUI can be overwhelming, especially without the benefit of an experienced Circleville, Ohio, DUI and OVI attorney. For many of my clients, it is their first experience dealing with the court system. That experience often begins without the benefit of anyone explaining how the process works or what to do next.

If you’re facing an OVI or DUI charge, you’re likely to have a lot of questions. You’ll want to know things like:

  • What will happen when I see the judge?
  • Will I go to jail?
  • When will I be allowed to drive again?
  • Why did the officer charge me twice?
DUI Defense Lawyer

As your case moves forward, many more questions will come up, and as your DUI attorney in Circleville, Ohio and the surrounding areas, it’s my job to make sure you get those questions answered  – often during our first conversation.

My first concern as an attorney is to provide my clients with the most accurate information I can. You need that information before we can begin to make decisions about how best to reach the best outcome for you. Once we have talked through that plan, I will get to work in court achieving that outcome for you.

As a DUI and OVI defense attorney in Circleville, Ohio, I can provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions and guide you through a confusing process.

What Does it Mean to Receive an OVI/DUI in Ohio?

In Ohio, Revised Code §4511.19 prohibits Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs – or OVI. Many people and states also refer to this charge as Driving Under the Influence – or DUI. While it is most accurate to refer to an OVI for a charge in Ohio, no one will misunderstand you by calling it a DUI – even attorneys in Circleville.

Ohio prohibits the operation of vehicles if a person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or has specific concentrations of alcohol or drugs in their blood, breath, or urine. The evidence offered to prove this can include: an officer’s observations of your actual driving; interaction and conversations with you, performance on field sobriety testing, and results of breath or chemical testing.

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI or an OVI, it’s extremely important to speak with a DUI defense attorney in Pickaway County as soon as possible.

What is an ALS Suspension and How Can a Circleville DUI & OVI Attorney Help?

Though you might not realize it, when you were granted a driver’s license you consented to submit to a chemical or breath test when an officer has probable cause to believe you were operating a vehicle under the influence.

Determining if an officer had probable cause requires a more in-depth discussion with your Circleville DUI attorney, but once an officer believes he or she has it – you will be asked to submit to that test.

Refusing the test or testing “over the limit” will trigger an automatic suspension of your driver’s license. Frequently, this suspension is in place in a matter of hours after your vehicle was stopped.

The inability to drive after being charged with an OVI is often one of the biggest problems my clients face. There are limited ways an OVI and DUI defense lawyer for Pickaway County and Ross County can address an ALS suspension, so contact our office to see if any of them apply to your individual circumstances.

What If I am Convicted of OVI/DUI in Pickaway County?

The penalties for OVI can be severe, but an experienced OVI/DUI defense attorney in the Pickaway County/Ross County area can spot issues in your case that might make them avoidable.

When a person is convicted of an OVI, a court is required to impose certain penalties. Those penalties include a mandatory jail sentence, fines, and license suspension for a minimum of one year. Additionally, those penalties may also include court-ordered assessments and treatment for alcohol or drug abuse, probation, and the possibility of restricted license plates or special devices installed on your vehicle.

OVI is also a moving violation that will incur six points on your driving record, potentially causing even more trouble. For those individuals facing repeat or felony OVI charges within a ten year period, the required penalties become even more severe, including significantly more jail time, higher fines, longer license suspensions, mandatory drug or alcohol treatment, and immobilization or forfeiture of your vehicle.

It is important that your OVI and DUI defense attorney near Circleville has experience dealing with these types of OVI charges to confidently address all of the issues that surround them. At the O’Leary Law office in Circleville, we have that experience and we will use it to help you.

How Can My Circleville DUI Attorney Help Get My Driving Privileges Back?

Even with an OVI and DUI defense attorney near Circleville, an OVI case can take months to work its way through court. Being able to drive while the charge is pending is critical for most people.

Different courts take different approaches to grant driving privileges. Some will readily grant unlimited privileges under certain conditions, while other courts will necessarily be stricter about the conditions under which you can drive.

Obtaining privileges to drive also depends upon your driving status relative to an ALS or other unrelated suspensions. As an OVI and DUI defense lawyer near Circleville, I have successfully navigated through many courts’ preferences to obtain driving privileges as soon as practicable for most clients.

I have represented countless people charged with OVI infractions in Pickaway County courts and throughout central Ohio. Those cases have ranged from simple first-time offenders to people facing years in prison for fifth or sixth convictions.

If you’ve been charged with an OVI infraction, I’m confident I can help. Contact The O’Leary Law Office today to learn more about your options today.

Call O’Leary Law at 740.474.4411

Call to a free phone consultation and quickly find out what to do next about your OVI charges.