Faith Evans Arrested for DUI

Popular R & B singer Faith Evans was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol two weeks ago while driving in the Marina del Rey area of Los Angeles.  Evans, who is the widow of famed rapper Notorious B.I.G., was stopped by local law enforcement officers at a routine DUI checkpoint.  Officers at the scene reported that Evans "seemed intoxicated," and she was later charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol.  The singer is scheduled to be arraigned September 16th and could face up to six months in jail if found guilty. 

Police-run DUI checkpoints are becoming increasingly popular in Los Angeles.  Also known as sobriety checkpoints, these stops are carefully regulated, so if you have been charged with DUI stemming from a checkpoint stop, contact an experienced DUI defense attorney right away.  As a qualified  DUI defense attorney will tell you, DUI checkpoints are something of a contentious legal issue these days.  The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives American citizens the right to not be stopped and harassed by law enforcement agents without just cause.  Legally, DUI checkpoints are allowable as part of preserving the publics' safety from motorists who are driving drunk, but there are very specific regulations as to how these checkpoints can be set up and run.  Sobriety checkpoints must be conducted in a manner that does not create horrible traffic jams and local law enforcement must also give the public advanced notice of when and where DUI checkpoints are going to be conducted.  Officers conducting the checkpoint must also use a completely impartial formula, such as every fifth car or every seventh car for example, in determining which cars they are going to pull over and check to ensure that the car's driver is not driving under the influence of alcohol.  Officers in this situation are not allowed to profile based on factors such as ethnicity or type of car.  Drivers are also given the option of turning around before reaching the checkpoint, and officers are not allowed to pursue them if they leave the line of cars leading to the checkpoint.  At the checkpoint, officers will check the vehicle's driver for signs of intoxication which can include slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, inability to follow directions or the odor of alcohol either on the driver's breath or anywhere in the car.  Using this impartial formula, DUI checkpoints tend to stop quite a few vehicles where the driver is perfectly sober and would not have ordinarily been stopped.  An experienced DUI defense attorney knows that technicalities can make a big difference in successfully defending you against DUI charges from a sobriety checkpoint.  Call the  DUI defense attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today to begin preparing your defense.