Posted by Richard Lawson | Aug 31, 2019 |
When a police officer arrests someone for suspicion of a DUI, he is required to have probable cause to believe you are driving under the influence. The basis for a police officer's initial stop of you or your vehicle may help support his decision to arrest you for DUI, but this basis cannot stand...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Aug 14, 2019 |
As a Forsyth County DUI Attorney, I have seen many cases where a police officer has exaggerated evidence or seen evidence that wasn't there in the course of a DUI arrest. This is not to say that all police officers are dishonest, of course, but every profession has occurrences of human error that...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jul 30, 2019 |
Contrary to popular belief, a trial that ends in a conviction is not the end of the road. From there, your attorney can file a motion for new trial within 30 days of the entry of judgment. Even if this motion is initially denied, the order denying the motion may be appealed. Another method is to ...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jul 13, 2019 |
According to the most recent Distracted Driver Data Report, Georgia Department of Driver Services found that since Georgia's crackdown on distracted driving, over 19,000 drivers have been convicted of violating Georgia's hands-free law. This is an increase of 10,937 from the previous year. The re...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jun 26, 2019 |
On Monday, June 10, Brandon Schneider, age 27, was indicted in Forsyth County Superior Court for charges of homicide by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, D.U.I., use of improper tires, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, and reckless driving. Schnieder is suspected of being the driver res...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jun 06, 2019 |
On May 26, police officers in Forsyth arrived at a gruesome scene. The body of 27-year-old Jose D. Ramirez Labra was found after an apparent hit-and-run. The driver had left the scene, abandoning his damaged motorcycle along the side of the road.
According to reports, police were eventually able...
Posted by Richard Lawson | May 22, 2019 |
A sheriff's deputy from Liberty County was taken to the hospital after his patrol vehicle was rear-ended on the morning of Sunday, May 19, 2019.
According to law enforcement, the accident occurred on East Oglethorpe Highway just after 5:30 a.m. Liberty County Sheriff Steve Sikes was in the midd...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Apr 22, 2019 |
A DUI suspect faces several serious charges after an accident in north Georgia that led to the death of one child and left another child in serious condition.
Charles Raymond Evans, of Toccoa, GA was driving a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck on I-85 in Banks County, GA at around 3 p.m. The pickup tr...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Mar 18, 2019 |
The Psilocybin mushroom is a mushroom with hallucinogenic effects that can significantly affect a person's ability to drive. These types of mushrooms are illegal and can also lead to drug possession charges if found in your vehicle at the time of arrest.
If you or someone you care about has been...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Feb 20, 2019 |
A high speed chase occurred early on Friday, February 18, 2019, when police went after a suspected drunk driver. Georgia State Patrol troopers attempted to pull over a Honda CRV on Interstate 85 north near Georgia 400.
When police attempted to initiate the stop, the driver refused and kept going...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jan 02, 2019 |
An alleged drunk driver and her baby were rescued by first responders on December 28, 2018, from a flooding creek in Lumpkin County, Georgia. Video captured the moment that firefighters used a ladder to save the mother and her child.
Andrea Marie McMeans, 29, of Dahlonega, was rescued along with...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Nov 28, 2018 |
If you or someone you care for has been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol in Georgia, you face very serious criminal consequences. This includes potential time in jail and high fines. Certain counties, like Forsyth County, have special DUI courts that promote trea...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Oct 10, 2018 |
Georgia has very strict DUI laws, and not all of them are very precise. In fact, most people think that you can only be charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol if you blow over 0.08% blood alcohol content (BAC). That is simply not true.
Under Georgia's "DUI Less Safe" statute, ...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Sep 14, 2018 |
The use of ecstasy can significantly affect a person's ability to drive safely. As both an illegal drug and a substance which can negatively affect driving performance, the potential for criminal penalties is high. As a result of driving under the influence of ecstasy, you face serious penalties,...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Aug 13, 2018 |
If you have ever watched a legal show on television, you have undoubtedly heard the phrase "beyond a reasonable doubt." Few people outside of the legal field actually know how important this phrase is to a defense after being charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol.
A ...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jul 20, 2018 |
If you have been convicted of a charge of driving under the influence (DUI) in Georgia, there are steps you can take even after your conviction. An appeal can save you from an improper conviction, law enforcement misconduct, or other issues that arose during your trial.
Knowing how to pursue an ...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jun 29, 2018 |
States have enacted a wide variety of different laws to curb instances of people driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol. From the use of mandatory informed consent testing, ignition interlock devices, and strict driver's license penalties to alcohol counseling, these methods have m...
Posted by Richard Lawson | May 25, 2018 |
If you are pulled over by law enforcement for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), the officer will likely ask you to perform one of the standard field sobriety tests. These tests are known to be inaccurate, yet they could be used against you in your DUI case. An experienced Forsyth Co...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Apr 18, 2018 |
Prom season is in full swing and summer is just around the corner, which means that alcohol use among teens will be on the rise. Teens are less capable than adults of managing the effects alcohol has on the body, making it incredibly dangerous for them to get behind the wheel. Unfortunately, some...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Mar 23, 2018 |
It is crazy to think how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. In just thirty years there have been countless innovations and developments that have integrated technology into nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Cell phones that can call people anywhere in the world have bec...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Feb 27, 2018 |
When those red and blue lights flash in your rear-view, youre bound to get a bit flustered. Even more so if youve just had a drink or two with dinner, or came from a bar. During a traffic stop, many motorists take the route of complete subservience, answering any and all of the officers questi...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Jan 26, 2018 |
In discussing DUI checkpoints, Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, told The New York Times: The original concept was it could deter someone from driving drunk because there might have been a D.U.I. checkpoint on the way home and one didnt know for sure,” she said. “Toda...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Dec 21, 2017 |
An arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) is always serious. But after news that two suspected drunk drivers crashed into two different local law enforcement vehicles last month, now might be an even worse time to be driving under the influence in Forsyth County.
According to the Forsyth C...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Nov 30, 2017 |
In the past few years, a number of states have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. While more than half of the states in the U.S. have legalized medical marijuana, just eight states and the District of Columbia have decided that some limited personal use is also permitted. O...
Posted by Richard Lawson | Oct 30, 2017 |
The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution details certain fundamental rights that are afforded to each U.S. citizen and most states have incorporated similar rights into their constitutions. One of these rights is the right against self-incrimination. Self-incrimination can be defined as “[t]he...