A Sergeant with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office observed the Defendant while driving a vehicle make a wide right turn and travel on the wrong side of the road for approximately 50 ft. The Sergeant then noticed the Defendant stop for a red light 20 ft. prior to the intersection. After making a traffic stop, the Sergeant smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the Defendant. An officer specializing in DUI was called to the scene. In addition to smelling an odor of alcohol, the DUI officer also noticed the Defendant had bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech. Additionally, the Defendant continued searching for his registration after he had already given provided it. The Defendant performed the field sobriety tasks poorly to where the officer indicated in his report that it was “obvious” the Defendant was impaired. After being arrested, the Defendant refused to provide a breath sample. Defense counsel reviewed the evidence and advised the Defendant to fight the DUI charge by taking it to trial. On the day of trial, moments before the jury was to be selected, the Assistant State Attorney dropped the DUI charge.
DUI & Criminal Division
