Can a Georgia DUI Case Turns into a Federal Investigation?

An article recently mentioned someone accused of several serious traffic offense resulting in a further investigation for unrelated matters. The police recently arrested someone for driving under the influence in Fayette County. According to reports, that person hit two vehicles while DUI.  The accused allegedly had an infant child in the vehicle as well.  The charges included:

• DUI in Georgia
• DUI Child Endangerment in Georgia
• Fleeing or Attempting to Elude in Georgia

Unfortunately, as a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I have outlined before how an accident can actually help prove that you were less safe to drive and therefore prove that you were in fact under the influence.  Driving behavior is the single most important factor taken into consideration in a DUI Less Safe Case. 

On top of that, child endangerment charges are also not taken lightly in the state of Georgia. The most sensitive charges involve children, and there is not a county in Georgia that doesn't take alcohol and drug related offenses involving children seriously. The Georgia DUI Penalties typically severely increase when both accidents and children are involved in the case.

The trouble any encounter with the police is that it can result in an investigation for other unrelated offenses.  As I have pointed out before, once you are interacting with the police, they can investigate whatever they see in their "plain view."  This is called the "plain view doctrine."  

For example, when the police are lawfully questioning someone, or even just harmlessly interacting with a citizen on the street, if they see contraband on that person they can make an arrest.  In a DUI situation, very often the contraband are drugs in the vehicle.  Sometimes the contraband are weapons, resulting in a felony arrest. 

In the case at hand, drugs and weapons were found in the vehicle.  The result was a serious set of charges.  

Practice Note

Sometimes DUI cases lead to more investigations and can actually lead to further criminal charges. Here, at Lawson and Berry, we specialize in Georgia DUI Defense, and that includes all foreseeable criminal charges that can be associated with that DUI case. If you or a loved one has been arrested for DUI in Georgia, contact our offices today. A Georgia DUI Attorney can help you with your case and discuss what options are available for you.