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One of the protections that citizens have against unfair prosecution by the government is what is known as a statute of limitations. A statute of limitations is simply the legal term for a time limit within which the government must file criminal charges against you for a given action. It prevent...

With Washington beginning the charge in 2012, several states are loosening restrictions on marijuana and legalizing certain amounts for medical and recreational use. Naturally, the decriminalization of a substance like marijuana in a state changes how its law enforcement operates. Police may face...

As we have noted before, law enforcement officers have to have a valid reason for pulling you over for a traffic stop. If an officer doesn't like a bumper sticker on your car or notices that you just pulled out of a bar's parking lot—these are not reasons to pull you over to investigate you for a...

When Washington state began its “stay home, stay safe” mandate in March 2020 due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the state Liquor and Cannabis Board (WLCB) temporarily eased some restrictions on licensed bars and restaurants to allow them to apply for a permit that lets them sell alcohol “to g...

One of the top priorities when it comes to driver safety for the state of Washington is keeping drivers who are under the influence of alcohol off of the road. In order to try to make this a reality, legislators implement harsh rules and penalties to try to dissuade those who have had a few from ...

Being charged with driving under the influence in Seattle is a serious matter. Fines and jail time aren't the only penalties that you face after a DUI charge--your driving privileges can be suspended altogether. If you are facing a suspension of your driver's license after a DUI arrest, there is ...

The state of Washington takes DUI seriously, and that is reflected in the seriousness of the penalties that those who are convicted may face. If you have been caught while driving under the influence, then you have probably already begun to feel the heat of the punishment that comes from a DUI ar...

Last Wednesday, March 25, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed H.B. 2483 (also known as Haley's Law 2.0) into law. The bill allows a law enforcement officer to direct a vehicle to be impounded when no reasonable alternatives exist after someone has been stopped for driving under the influence. A...

An independent investigator who was appointed to review police actions related to an officer who was charged with driving under the influence has announced findings that include serious criticisms. Included in the report released last week was the finding that: "Aurora Police Department leadershi...

Police in Washougal, Washington along with Clark County Sheriff's Office Deputies have partnered with Clark County Target Zero and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to test a new program that would allow for quicker blood draws of people suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or...

Two recent reports from two very different parts of the country may indicate that thanks to rideshare platforms such as Uber and Lyft, DUI arrest rates may be dropping. But a University of Pennsylvania study found that while there is a correlation between using rideshare services and a decline in...

Data released by the Washington State Patrol show that officers have arrested 200 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence in King, Pierce, and Thurston counties in the first few weeks of the new year. State troopers in District 1 have made 96 DUI arrests thus far. Last year, District...

Late last year, a local news outlet reported on the arrest of a prosecutor from the Washington State Attorney General's Office. The prosecutor was pulled over in at around 3:00 in the morning for failing to move over for an emergency vehicle. Law enforcement officers smelled alcohol from inside t...

As we wrote last July, Utah lowered its blood alcohol content (BAC) limit from .08 to .05 percent. on December 30, 2018, making it the strictest state in the country when it comes to DUI laws. So how has the first year of a lower BAC limit affected DUIs in Utah? Utah Highway Patrol Estimates for...

Christmas 2019 is behind us. You ate too many decadent desserts, you exchanged gifts (but don't understand why your wife doesn't seem more excited over her new vacuum cleaner), and your out-of-town relatives will be heading home in the next day or two. Now you can really relax, and what better wa...

Using FBI data, the U.S. Drug Test Center released a study that highlights which states have the most DUI arrests in the country. Washington is in the top ten, according to the report, and the majority of those top-ten states are in the western United States. South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyomi...

The holidays are in full swing, and every year at this time, we at the Law Offices of Steve Karimi like to remind you that getting charged with a DUI is completely avoidable if you designate a sober driver or take alternate transportation such as an Uber or Lyft to get you home after a night of f...

A Colorado police officer who was found drunk in his unmarked patrol car in March 2019 not only got to keep his job, but he was also never charged with a DUI. The sheriff of the county has accused the police department of a coverup. Welfare Check Requested On March 29, 2019, the Aurora Police D...

A woman in Kennewick, Washington was clearly trying to “live mas” when she drove her RV to a Taco Bell for some late-night food, but the situation did not turn out muy bueno. Fifty-six-year-old Anastacia Etzwiler was arrested on suspicion of DUI after police responded to a call that an RV was stu...

On December 1, 2019, New Jersey will become the 34th state to require anyone convicted of a DUI to install an ignition interlock device (IID) in their vehicle, also known as an all-offender law. Ignition Interlock Devices IIDs are instruments that a person blows into to test their blood-alcohol...

Rising country star Sam Hunt is learning about the far-reaching consequences of a DUI charge. On November 21, 2019, Hunt was pulled over by Nashville police after multiple people called 911 to report that a vehicle was traveling the wrong way down a one-way road. The other drivers also claimed H...

With Thanksgiving upon us, the official holiday season has begun. Many people will celebrate Thanksgiving by hosting a dinner at home for friends and family, and others will choose to treat themselves to a day of not cooking and will go out to eat instead. And just when you have cleaned and put a...

If you are pulled over by law enforcement and then either charged with a DUI or possession of drugs, you still have rights in accordance with Washington state laws. Two Snohomish sheriff deputies allegedly violated these rights and were subsequently fired from their jobs on November 4, 2019. Inv...

Several years ago, a North Carolina man was stopped for suspected drunk driving. He told police he had not been drinking, and he refused to take a roadside breathalyzer test. He was then taken to the hospital where doctors found his blood-alcohol level to be two and a half times the legal limit, ...

It's what we here at the Law Offices of Steve Karimi have been telling you (and our clients) for years: breathalyzers are unreliable. That's according to a new report by the New York Times, which conducted a deep investigation into some serious issues regarding the machines and how they are used ...