Even if you've never been charged with driving under the influence, you can imagine the potential damage to your career and personal reputation. The costs are even higher for those whose job it is to protect other people from drunk drivers.
A sheriff's deputy working out of Lane County, Oregon, was arrested a couple weeks ago in Springfield after a motorist called police to report a vehicle weaving back and forth in the eastbound lanes of Highway 126 Expressway. Police began following the Jeep Wrangler, which at one point almost hit a center median, according to a police report.
After pulling over the deputy, who lives in Springfield and was off duty at the time, officers had the deputy perform field sobriety tests, which they said he failed. He was booked into the city jail and released a short time later on bail. He'll make his first court appearance next month to answer to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.
The 42-year-old deputy had been working for the Lane County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. Once his criminal case is closed, the Sheriff's Office will conduct its own investigation to determine whether he violated department policies. In other words, he risks losing his job in addition to having a criminal record.
Of course, you don't have to be a law enforcement officer or a public figure to seriously damage your professional reputation with a DUII. Such a conviction could also affect your ability to find and keep good housing. And if you're a student, you might be at risk of losing out on scholarships, acceptance into college or graduate programs and other academic opportunities. How can you combat this kind of fallout? Finding an attorney who focuses on drunk-driving offenses and other traffic violations is a good first step. The more familiar your attorney is with specific DUII laws, the better able you may be to avoid the most devastating consequences.
Source: The Register-Guard, "Deputy charged with DUII," Jack Moran, May 24, 2012
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