Being arrested and charged with a crime can be a devastating event, especially if the case against one is groundless. While there are many who have been charged with drunk driving, sometimes there are errors on the part of the arresting officer. One Georgia woman who had been charged with this offense recently had her charges dropped.
The woman was arrested in Oct. 2015. The police officer who arrested her claimed that she was driving erratically at the time, prompting him to make the traffic stop. The woman asserted that the only substance she had ingested was her medication that was prescribed for depression. Her case dragged through the system for over a year and cost her an estimated $5,000 in fees as she worked to clear her name.
A judge dismissed the charges earlier this month. This came a few weeks after the arresting officer was investigated by a Georgia prosecuting attorney’s organization for erroneous arrests. The investigation is said to have documented that the officer was directly involved in several cases that were questionable. The woman’s attorney stated that a lawsuit against the city is under consideration in light of the mistakes this policeman made.
In the meantime, officials are reviewing the other suspect cases in order to determine whether they, too, will be dismissed. Understandably the process may take time. For the ones who have been charged based on mistakes, the more time it takes, the more it will cost financially and emotionally. Georgia residents do have the right to seek assistance from a criminal defense attorney in order to fight a drunk driving charge and clear their name or find the best resolution possible.
Source: cbs46.com, “Charges dropped in DUI case following investigation into officer”, Adam Murphy, Jan. 13, 2017