Professional basketball star Jarrett Jack was arrested in late February on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Jarrett, who plays the position of guard for the New Orleans Hornets, was driving through his home town of Atlanta, Georgia, when local law enforcement officials spotted him speeding down a city street. At about four o'clock in the morning on a Sunday, officers clocked Jack driving his Mercedes at speeds of up to 66 miles per hour in an area where the posted speed limit was just 45 miles per hour. Officers also reportedly observed Jack's vehicle swerving, crossing both the center line and the fog line. When the officer at the scene approached Jack's vehicle, he reportedly smelled alcohol on the former Georgia Institute of Technology basketball star. The officer conducted field sobriety tests, which Jack reportedly did poorly on. Jack was taken to a Gwinnett County jail where he was given a breath analysis test an hour or so after being stopped. Jack's breath test results reportedly put his blood alcohol content at just under the legal limit of 0.08%. Jack was officially charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and failure to maintain a lane and was released from the county jail sometime Sunday night.
Jack's case brings up an important point in DUI stops: local law enforcement officers must have a reason to pull you over before they can assume you are drinking and driving. While Jack's arrest occurred in the state of Georgia, an experienced Los Angeles DUI defense attorneycan tell you that improper police stops are strong and frequent defenses against DUI charges of all types. A
Los Angeles DUI defense attorneyknows that before a police officer or highway patrolman can legally pull you over, they must observe you driving illegally or unsafely. In some cases this is as simple as speeding above the posted speed limit. Ignoring stop signs or traffic lights could also alert an officer that you are not as alert as you could be. An experienced
Los Angeles DUI defense attorney also knows that some erratic driving behavior such as drifting into another lane is not necessarily the result of driving under the influence of alcohol. Distractions such as talking on a cell phone, eating, or simply not feeling well can make you less alert to what is happening on the road in front of you, even if you have not had a single sip of alcohol.
If you have been charged with DUI in connection with an unlawful police stop, call the Los Angeles DUI defense attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today. Our Los Angeles DUI defense attorneys have decades of experience in successfully defending their clients against DUI charges of all types and we will fight for you. Call today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to a qualified
Los Angeles DUI defense attorney about your case.