Ohio DUI / Sobriety Checkpoints - The Law, The Rules and The Defenses

/ Sivinski Law Offices, ltd/
Ohio DUI / Sobriety Checkpoints - The Law, The Rules and The Defenses

Sobriety checkpoints do infringe upon our Constitutional rights and protections.  An experienced DUI Defense Lawyer will evaluate how the DUI checkpoint was planned and how it was conducted to develop the best arguments against the checkpoint.  Furthermore, even if conducted properly, the police may not detain for further screening without a reasonable suspicion based on articulable facts that the driver is impaired and it may not arrest without probable cause to believe the driver is impaired.

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Can You Get a DUI on a Golf Cart in Ohio?

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Can You Get a DUI on a Golf Cart in Ohio?

Going to Put-in-Bay or Kelley’s Island this summer?  Taking a ferry and renting a golf cart to tour around?  You might get charged with a DUI if you drink and drive on that golf cart, just as people have been charged at golf courses and campgrounds. Being charged with an OVI/DUI for driving a golf cart raises two issues.  First, can it be a DUI if you were only driving a golf cart?  Second, is it a DUI if you were on private property such a campground or golf course?

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Changes to Ohio's OVI Penalties Effective April 6, 2017 (HB 388 "Annie's Law")

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Changes to Ohio's OVI Penalties Effective April 6, 2017 (HB 388 "Annie's Law")

Some changes are coming to Ohio's OVI laws effective April 6, 2017.  These changes primarily involve a change in the look-back period from 6 years to 10 years as well as a push to increase the use of interlock systems.  While there are some concerns regarding the clarity of the law and certain nuances of its application, the following summarizes the more important implications.

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A State's Late Response to Discovery Justifies a Late Motion to Suppress

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A State's Late Response to Discovery Justifies a Late Motion to Suppress

Fifth District explains that, "A trial court abuses its discretion by denying a pretrial motion to suppress in an OVI case as 'untimely filed' where the motion to suppress was promptly filed after the state provided discovery and the request for leave articulate the reason for the late filing."

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Ohio Supreme Court Says Expert Testimony Not Needed to Show Prescription Caused Impairment for OVI's

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Ohio Supreme Court Says Expert Testimony Not Needed to Show Prescription Caused Impairment for OVI's

Ohio Supreme Court holds that, "When the effects of a drug are sufficiently well known . . . expert testimony linking ingestion of the drug with indicia of impairment is unnecessary to convict of an OVI.

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Probable Cause to Arrest for an OVI (Operating a Vehicle While Impaired) Requires Indications/Observations of Impairment

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Probable Cause to Arrest for an OVI (Operating a Vehicle While Impaired) Requires Indications/Observations of Impairment

Signs of drinking are insufficient to justify an arrest for an OVI (operating a vehicle while impaired) at a sobriety checkpoint, without also observing signs of impairment such as erratic driving or behavior.

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Police may infer movement to charge a sleeping driver of a parked car with a DUI - DUI News - 11/13/2016

/ Sivinski Law Offices, ltd/
Police may infer movement to charge a sleeping driver of a parked car with a DUI - DUI News - 11/13/2016

An OVI requires actual movement of a vehicle, while a physical control charge does not; however, police may infer movement to charge a sleeping driver of a parked car with a DUI.

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