Have You Been Charged with DUI in Sandy Springs, GA? Call Attorney Melanie Ellwanger 24/7 at (404) 803-3105

Being arrested and charged with a Sandy Springs, GA DUI, is an anxiety-producing experience. In order to keep that arrest from changing your life forever, it is crucial you contact a knowledgeable Sandy Springs, GA DUI attorney who will answer your questions, provide the information you need, and take away some of the stress you are experiencing. DUI attorney Melanie Ellwanger has the experience, knowledge of Georgia DUI laws, and past history of positive DUI outcomes necessary to help you through this difficult time.

 

Should You Refuse a Georgia DUI Breathalyzer Test?

Under Georgia’s Implied Consent Law, driving is deemed a privilege, not a right. Therefore, anyone pulled over on suspicion of DUI is required to submit to chemical testing. The arresting officer must advise you of how the test results—or your refusal to submit to a chemical test—can be used against you. However, the penalty for refusing a Breathalyzer test can be a year’s suspension of your driver’s license.

If you refuse a Breathalyzer test, your suspension will be a “hard suspension,” with no possibility of a restricted permit to drive. In short, the civil penalties you will face for refusing a Georgia DUI Breathalyzer test are very harsh. While submitting to a Georgia DUI chemical test is required (or penalties will result), taking field sobriety tests are not required and bring no penalty for refusal.

Potential Criminal Consequences of Your Sandy Springs, GA DUI

There are many consequences to a Georgia DUI conviction, some of them criminal, some civil, and some personal. The criminal penalties for a Sandy Springs, GA DUI conviction can include:

• Possible jail time from 10 days to one year (with all but 24 hours of the sentence potentially commuted);
• Fines ranging from $300-$1,000;
• Forty hours of community service;
• A driver’s license suspension up to a year;
• Twelve months’ probation;
• Alcohol and drug evaluation, and
• Completion of DUI School or the Risk Reduction Program.

The Benefits of Hiring an Experienced Sandy Springs, GA DUI Attorney

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your Sandy Springs, GA DUI arrest, Attorney Melanie Ellwanger may be able to challenge one or more issues. Perhaps there was no reason to pull you over in the first place. There may have been mistakes made during the administration of your BAC or field sobriety tests. Perhaps you were not properly apprised of your rights, the officer who administered your BAC test was not certified or the machine was not calibrated. You may have specific health problems which affected the BAC or field sobriety tests, or there may have been insufficient cause to arrest you at all.

As your Sandy Springs, GA DUI attorney, Melanie Ellwanger may be able to plea bargain on your behalf for potentially lesser charges, however will never do so without discussing the issue thoroughly with you and coming to the decision together. Melanie represents DUI clients in Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton and Johns Creek. She is very familiar with the DUI courts and judges in those areas. In Sandy Springs, GA, those accused of DUI will appear before:

7840 Roswell Road

Sandy Springs, GA 30350

http://www.sandyspringsga.org/city-services/municipal-court