Washington County, Oregon recently saw two separate car accidents that led to DUII charges for the drivers. According to police, the first accident occurred when a 26-year-old man lost control over his pickup truck. The accident allegedly took place around 4:05 p.m. on Hornecker Road near Cornelius. In the accident, police say, the truck left the roadway and flipped at least once, injuring a passenger. In this case, the driver was charged with fourth-degree assault and DUII. In the second accident, the 25-year-old driver was charged with DUII after he also lost control over a pickup truck. This accident happened around two hours after the first crash, near Gaston. Police say the truck rolled over after the driver lost control. Nobody was injured in that accident. It is unclear why police believe that either driver was drunk at the time of the accidents. To make claims, like these, police must have hard evidence of intoxication. This can include a failed field sobriety test or a blood alcohol test -- including a breath test or blood test -- with a reading over .08 percent.
Even if police have this evidence, they must have collected it appropriately for it to be good enough to use in court. Police have standard procedures that must be followed as they carry out these tests. Even the slightest irregularities can void the test, making the evidence unusable at trial.
Those accused of DUII, like the men in these recent accidents, need to understand the evidence that police have against them. By knowing why police think that a person was driving drunk, that person can better defend themselves by questioning police procedures. If the evidence was not collected correctly, prosecutors may have no choice but drop the charges.
Source: The Oregonian, "2 men arrested on drunk driving charges after separate crashes in Washington County," Everton Bailey Jr., July 19, 2014
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