A Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) device monitors someone’s alcohol intake regularly. Often a bracelet or anklet form, this device measures the alcohol content in a person’s sweat. It is programmed to measure every 30 minutes and transmits the data to a monitoring center. 

If alcohol is detected in your system, an alert will be triggered, and you could face consequences such as additional fines for violating probation or pretrial release. If the CAM monitor was ordered as a condition of pretrial release, it is not uncommon that a positive alcohol consumption event will result in the Court issuing a warrant for your arrest.

Interstate compacts are defined as, “a contractual arrangement made between two or more states in which the assigned parties agree on a specific policy issue and either adopt a set of standards or cooperate on a particular regional or national matter.” Florida is a part of two different interstate compacts for traffic violations: the Driver License Compact (DLC) and the Non-Resident Violators Compact (NRVC).

If your home state is also a part of one of these interstate compacts, the details regarding your arrest and any DUI charges brought against you may be provided to governing authorities, and any penalties (such as driver’s license suspension) resulting from the traffic violation and charges may be enforced. Think your home state might be one of the lucky states excluded from this arrangement? Think again! You likely live in one of these states–only two states (Michigan and Wisconsin) are not a part of one of these interstate compacts.

If you’re facing a DUI charge, the first thing you should do is seek the help of a DUI defense attorney in Clearwater, FL with Russo, Pelletier & Sullivan, P.A. In our decades of practicing DUI defense, we have helped thousands of clients successfully get their licenses back after a DUI. 

Time is of the essence, as you only have ten calendar days from the time of your arrest to apply for a hardship license or request a hearing to challenge your license suspension. Therefore, it’s essential to act fast and contact a top DUI attorney in Clearwater at our firm immediately after the fact to help you navigate the process.

Russo, Pelletier, & Sullivan P.A. are among a select few DUI attorneys in Clearwater who are certified to operate an Intoxilyzer. This places their top DUI attorneys in a strong position to scrutinize your results and ensure the Intoxilyzer test was administered in the correct way during your DUI stop. 

The results of our examination can change the outlook of your case entirely. If the test was improperly administered, there is no way to guarantee the validity of the test; and without test validity, there is no way that the prosecutor can prove beyond reasonable doubt that you were over the legal limit.

The option of a friend or relative picking up your car and driving it home for you is the most ideal scenario, but it is completely dependent on the arresting officer. This is a courtesy and is not guaranteed; however, the officer may agree to allow it if your friend or family member can get to your vehicle within about 20 minutes. 

Where the car is taken is up to the person who picks it up. If it is not taken back to your residence (or whatever location you prefer for it to stay), in most cases, you will have 10 days to drive under a temporary permit; within that period, you will be able to pick up and drive your car to your preferred location.

When an individual has been charged with a DUI or another similar crime, they want to know that they have the best possible defense in their case. At Russo, Pelletier, & Sullivan we work as a team on every case, meaning no attorney works in isolation. 

Each of our attorneys has a different area of focus, with diverse backgrounds and unique experiences. This allows us to provide the most creative and effective strategies for each of our  clients, which many other firms just simply cannot offer. 

We also prioritize showing up in court ourselves, meaning we never use coverage attorneys. When our client’s life and wellbeing is on the line, they can count on us to show up for them every time. The Pinellas County Courthouse is essentially our second home, as each of our attorneys is in court nearly every day, serving our clients’ best interest.

When you hire Attorney Tim Sullivan or any of the attorneys with Russo, Pelletier, & Sullivan P.A in Clearwater, you can have the confidence that our holistic team approach yields the best results and allows for multiple professional perspectives on every issue.

If you are stopped for DUI, the law enforcement officer may ask you to perform Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs), such as “Finger to Nose,” “Walk and Turn,” “One-Leg Stand,” etc. If you believe that performing these tests would be detrimental to your case, you have the right to refuse to submit to those tests. In this case, the officer must decide if he has enough other evidence to make a DUI arrest, or to drop the investigation and allow you to continue on your way.

If you do choose to submit to FSTs, they are often recorded by dash-mounted video cameras in the officer’s patrol car. If you end up being arrested for DUI, our attorneys can examine the video footage of your performance and potentially challenge the officer’s interpretation of the results. Many clients express concern with how they will look on the video, but we have found in many cases that our client’s appearance on video is much better than they thought, and more importantly, much better than the officer described. If you do refuse the roadside sobriety tests, it is likely that you will be arrested, but you will deprive law enforcement of potentially damaging evidence of you performing poorly on the tests or otherwise demonstrating poor balance and dexterity.

Our client was a CDL driver’s license holder. While visiting Florida, he was stopped for a traffic violation and arrested for Driving Under the Influence. He declined to submit to field sobriety exercises and breath testing. A conviction for DUI would have been a career killer. After weighing his options, our client elected to have his case resolved with a trial. Mr. Sullivan defended the client against the allegations and raised reasonable doubts as to his guilt. Ultimately, a verdict of Not Guilty was rendered and our client was able to maintain his employment.

These operations occur numerous times a year and consist of large-scale patrol units that pull over drivers suspected to be under the influence. During these stops, officers will test your blood alcohol content no matter the reason and file charges according to the results. Often times, the “wolf packs” will look to pull over as many drivers as possible on those evenings to increase the chances of locating and arresting impaired drivers. Common reasons for traffic stops include expired registration, stopping in front of a stop bar at a light or stop sign, or failing to maintain a single lane.

If you are pulled over by one of these wolf pack patrols, it is essential to know your rights when it comes to submitting to a breathalyzer test and other field sobriety tests (FSTs). In Florida, the FSTs are not mandatory, but if you refuse, you risk the officer making a decision to arrest and charge you with a DUI based on various other factors.

Our seasoned attorneys received the same certifications as Pinellas County law enforcement officers for both the breathalyzer test and field sobriety tests. We are able to analyze the results of those tests and determine if they were administered correctly and fairly.

When choosing to represent yourself after being accused of Driving Under the Influence, you miss out on the valuable expertise that Russo, Pelletier & Sullivan P.A has to offer. 

Our holistic team approach means that each attorney in our office works together on every case, providing various perspectives and backgrounds that ultimately build a sound strategy for your defense. Some of the most common possible defenses used for DUI are Improper Stop, where officers have a lack of probable cause, Mistake of Fact, where the individual has an honest belief that they are not intoxicated, and inaccuracy of the breathalyzer test or field sobriety test. This level of support from a team of dedicated attorneys is unmatched, and you can have confidence in knowing that your defense strategy will remain strong throughout the case.