Law enforcement officials are always on the lookout for individuals who they believe are driving while intoxicated. When a person is suspected of driving with alcohol or drugs in their system, the stopping officer generally must find evidence of intoxication to make a drunk or drugged driving arrest. Across the state, there are a variety of <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1627_8665_9070-24488–,00.html” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>impaired driving laws</a> that law enforcement officers may employ to make arrests in cases of suspected drunk driving.
A driver in Michigan may be arrested for operating their vehicle while visibly impaired. In a situation like this, the arresting officer’s visual observations of the driver’s capacity to operate their vehicle may serve as evidence of the charge.
Additionally, a driver may be charged with one of the three operating while intoxicated charges that are currently on the books. An OWI charge can be based on any amount of alcohol in a person’s system that makes them unable to drive. A second level OWI charge may be based on a blood alcohol content reading of .08 or greater. A third level OWI charge may result, if a driver’s BAC is or exceeds .17.
Individuals under the age of 21 may also face OWI charges if they are suspected of drinking and driving. Charges, like these, can be damaging to anyone, but young people who are accused of breaking the state’s drunk driving laws can see their futures come apart amidst their legal dramas.
A drunk or drugged driving charge in Michigan can be one of the criminal offenses discussed in this post or may arise to a different criminal allegation. In some cases, individuals dealing with <a href=”/drunk-driving/”>drunk driving</a> charges are able to offer defenses to mitigate and eliminate the charges brought against them. Criminal defense attorneys who include drunk driving defense in their practices are an excellent sources of information about working through an OWI or other drunk driving charge.
