Grantville GA DUI Lawyer

Grantville GA DUI Lawyer – Grantville GA DUI Attorney

Who We Are

The Law Office of Richard Lawson is a legal firm dedicated exclusively to DUI Defense. Richard Lawson began his legal career over 25 years ago as a DUI Prosecutor and now puts that experience to work for his clients. Please check out his reviews on Avvo and contact our office for a free, no-obligation consultation.

30-Day Warning!

If you were arrested for DUI in Grantville GA or anywhere else in Coweta County, you should know you only have thirty days to save your Georgia driver's license from suspension. To keep your license from an automatic suspension, you or your Grantville GA DUI Lawyer must file an Administrative License Suspension (ALS) hearing or request an ignition interlock device. The fee to file the request is $150. If this step is not done, your license will be suspended. If you refused the State's chemical test of your breath, blood, or urine, your license will be suspended for one year, with no opportunity for a restricted license or an early reinstatement. Do not wait to contact a Grantville GA DUI Attorney. You only have one chance to have your case handled properly from the beginning. When you need a DUI Lawyer in Grantville GA, contact the Law Office of Richard Lawson.

Summary of Field Sobriety Tests

This information is intended to be a preliminary summary of field sobriety testing. For more detailed information, contact the Grantville GA DUI Lawyers with the Law Office of Richard Lawson. Our Grantville GA DUI Attorneys can explain, in detail, the procedures, instructions, and a standardized clue of field sobriety tests and how they are scored. Each Grantville GA DUI Attorney with our office have been trained the same as law enforcement officers on how to administer standard field sobriety tests.

History of Field Sobriety Tests

The idea of field sobriety testing has been around since law enforcement began enforcing DUI laws. It used to be that testing varied from officer to officer and department to department. Basically, officers could use whatever method they could dream up to gauge impairment. In the late 70's, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) came up with a three-test battery which included the One-leg Stand, Walk-and-Turn, and the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. These tests became the standard in determining whether a driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Types of Tests

Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus – Nystagmus is involuntary eye jerks and movements that can be seen as an indication of intoxication. However, it is not solely dependent on intoxicants in the body. Substances that do not impair driving can cause nystagmus. Nystagmus can also be caused congenitally or by neurological disturbance or disease.

Walk-and-Turn – In this test, the suspect assumes a heel-to-toe stance with arms at their side. This position is to be maintained until the law enforcement officer gives instruction to begin walking. At that time, with direction, the suspect should take nine steps (heel-to-toe) along a real (or imaginary) line. They then make a turn (not a pivot turn) by taking small steps with one foot whole keeping the other on the line. While walking the line, the suspect must keep their arms at their side, watch their feet the whole time, and count their steps out loud. Many things may interfere with the test, such as the wind and other weather conditions, the age of the suspect, what foot wear they are wearing and any roadway traffic.

One-leg Stand – This test is similar to the Walk-and-Turn and is a test of divided attention, meaning the test requires the suspect to divide their attention between following spoken instruction and the physical activity of balancing on one foot for approximately thirty seconds.

To perform the test, a person must stand with one foot about six inches off the ground with toes pointed. While perfectly balanced, the subject has to count by one-thousands (one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two and so on) for approximately thirty seconds, with arms at their side, while looking down at their foot. During the test, the officer will be looking for clues or indicators of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs such as:

Lowering the foot before completing the test;
Stumbling, swaying or hopping while attempting to maintain balance;
Using arms to maintain balance.

Sounds pretty complicated, right? Many critics of this test agree that it is designed for failure. What that means is that it would be difficult for a stone cold sober person under the very best of circumstances. Yet not very surprisingly, the One-leg Stand is typically given roadside, most often at night, with numerous distractions nearby. For example, the surface of the roadside might be uneven or gravelly; cars may be whipping by at a high rate of speed; the blue lights coming from the officer's car could cause glare, etc. Additionally, elderly people (or over the age of 65), those who are overweight, or have physical disabilities or limitations may be unable to perform this particular field sobriety test.

Grantville Municipal Court

Grantville Municipal Court handles offenses committed within Grantville City limits such as:

Misdemeanor traffic violations
Criminal offenses such as DUI
City ordinance violations regarding building codes and zoning

Court is held at 123 LaGrange Street, Grantville, GA 30220. The Honorable Lisa R. Reeves is the Municipal Court Judge, and Diane Littleton is the Chief Court Clerk. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM. The office is closed daily from 12 PM – 1 PM for lunch. For more information, please contact the Court at (770) 583-2255.

Call on Us

If you have failed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, the Walk-and-Turn, or the One-leg Stand field sobriety tests and were arrested and charged with DUI, you need an experienced DUI Lawyer in Grantville to challenge the evidence against you. Do not trust your future to just any Grantville DUI Attorney; choose the best in the state! The Law Office of Richard Lawson has a dedicated team of Grantville DUI Attorneys who will work hard for you to get the best outcome possible for your case. With DUI charges, timing is everything. Contact our office to speak with one of our Grantville DUI Lawyers today!

Recent Case Results

This case was in Helen Municipal Court. The client was charged with a DUI and four counts of DUI Child Endangerment. In Georgia, for every child under the age of 14 in a vehicle it is considered a separate DUI offense. The client would have been declared an habitual violator from one arrest an... Read On
Client was charged with a suspended license because he did not reinstate his privilege to drive after the expiration of his restricted license. Per my advice, the client properly reinstated his license the day after he was charged. Case Dismissed in Cobb County State Court. Read On
Client was a resident of New York who was arrested while he was visiting Georgia for pleasure. He was charged with DUI, Reckless Driving, and Speeding 37 MPH over the speed limit. We were able to get the client an unbelievable outcome in Hampton, Georgia. His DUI dismissed, his speeding ticket wa... Read On

Recommendations

DUI WITH HIGH BAC (.112) LOWERED TO RECKLESS DRIVING!

Richard was not the first lawyer I spoke with after my DUI charge, but he was the last when searching for representation. This was my very first time encountering any sort of legal dispute so I had no idea what I was doing and I was very scared. Richard was very friendly, down to earth and consol... Read On
Miracle Worker!

Not only did Richard Lawson and his very capable associate get my DUI reduced to reckless driving with parole, but he did something that I didn't think was possible. I was stopped for a moving violation recently. The police arrested me because they showed my driver's license had been suspended. H... Read On
Ideal attorney for anyone

Mr. Lawson is outstanding. He was professional, attentive to any requests, and got the outcome I wanted but thought was unachievable. I had been arrested for a DUI. The case was very difficult, intricate, and was seemingly without hope, but Mr. Lawson was able to get the charges drastically reduc... Read On