A member of the Washington, D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission was recently arrested for driving under the influence in Maryland. Paul Trantham, an elected neighborhood representative in southeast Washington, D.C., was arrested after an officer reported seeing his motor vehicle swerving from lane to lane. The officer also observed the representative falling asleep behind the wheel while stopped at a red light and reported his eyes to be very bloodshot. Trantham stated that he had only consumed two beers, but refused to take a sobriety test and when taken to the police station he screamed at the police officers, using racial slurs. When the officers began to read him his rights at the police station, “he stood up and urinated on the floor and then ordered officers to clean it up.”

A judge ruled the stop of Trantham invalid because the officer did not pull him over when they first witnessed his swerving but waited until they observed his behaviors at the stop light. The original charges of DUI, resisting arrest, and three traffic violations were all thrown out.

Driving Under the Influence in Washington State

In the state of Washington, “A person is guilty of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, marijuana, or any drug if the person drives a vehicle within this state:

• And the person has, within two hours after driving, an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher as shown by analysis of the person's breath or blood; or
• The person has, within two hours after driving, a THC concentration of 5.00 or higher as shown by analysis of the person's blood; or
• While the person is under the influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor, marijuana, or any drug; or
• While the person is under the combined influence of or affected by intoxicating liquor, marijuana, and any drug.”

Intoxication Testing

There are different tests and procedures in place that officers may conduct in order to test for intoxication when an individual has been pulled over for suspected driving under the influence. For example, in Washington state,

• “The breath analysis of the person's alcohol concentration shall be based upon grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath.
• The blood analysis of the person's THC concentration shall be based upon nanograms per milliliter of whole blood.”

An individual may refuse to test; however, the refusal to test may be admissible into evidence in a subsequent criminal trial.

Contact the Law Offices of Steve Karimi

Penalties for a DUI may result in the loss of your driver's license, hefty fines, and probations. A DUI charge is typically a gross misdemeanor, but depending on the circumstances can elevate to more serious charges. Due to the fact that there are several variables involved in a DUI arrest, if you or a loved one have been arrested for a DUI in the Seattle area, you need to retain the services of a skilled and experienced DUI attorney immediately. Lawyer Steve Karimi is a top-rated criminal defense attorney in King County. Contact the Law Offices of Steve Karimi today.