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Arizona is a “zero tolerance” state when it comes to drinking and driving while under the age of 21. If you are under the age of 21 and are driving under the influence of alcohol, or in actual physical control of a car with alcohol in your system, then you can be arrested, charged, and convicted of a DUI offense no matter how low your blood alcohol content (BAC) level was or whether you were impaired.
A.R.S. § 4-244(34) is the Arizona law that makes it illegal for anyone under 21 years of age to drive or be in actual physical control of a motor vehicle “while there is any spirituous liquor in the person’s body.” Because this is a zero-tolerance law, if you are charged under it then it is important that you have a DUI attorney who understands exactly how to conduct a strong DUI defense.
Defending you or a loved one of yours against an underage DUI prosecution requires your defense lawyer to use a comprehensive approach, finding weaknesses in the prosecutor’s case while ensuring that your rights are protected. Contact the Rosenstein Law Group at 480-248-7666 or online for a free consultation.
If you are convicted of an underage DUI in Arizona, the penalties may include:
One of the biggest concerns for people is the possible loss of a driver’s license for up to two years. At a young age, this can have many far-reaching consequences, like being unable to find employment or to commute to school. Trying to find a ride for the next two years of your life is not only an inconvenience, it can also become costly if you must rely on transportation alternatives like Uber and Lyft to get around.
When people hear that Arizona is a zero-tolerance state for underage drinking and driving, they understandably get a sinking feeling – especially when they learn what the potential consequences are. Still, you should not give up hope. If you or your child has been charged with an underage DUI offense, do not simply accept the punishment and move on. These cases are very fact-specific, and with the right defense-oriented investigation and trial defense preparation, you may be able to have your charges reduced or even dismissed.
At the Rosenstein Law Group, we handle all aspects of your DUI arrest and defense. We deal with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division and the Arizona Department of Transportation to fight any potential license suspension. At the same time, we meticulously challenge the prosecutor’s evidence so we can obtain the best possible result for your case.
Our experienced DUI attorneys are highly knowledgeable in every aspect of DUI investigations and defense. We will thoroughly go over every aspect of your case, examining the reason why the police stopped you, your initial interaction with the police, and any field sobriety tests and BAC testing from the time of sample collection to lab analysis. We will analyze forensic toxicology results to check for errors and look for any human variables in the evidence chain of custody and the testing methods the police and their crime lab use that might support a challenge of the toxicology results.
We know that facing zero-tolerance underage DUI laws is an uphill battle, so we do not hold back in your defense. Aggressively challenging the scientific basis of the underage DUI charge against you is only one part of our comprehensive defense. We also investigate to find any violations of your right to counsel, or for improper coercive tactics used to get you to consent to blood or breath testing. If we find any irregularities in how the police gathered their evidence against you, this might lead to suppression of that evidence or dismissal of the charges altogether.
If you are facing underage DUI charges in Payson, Arizona, then you need one of our DUI defense lawyers. We will help you avoid any missteps that can compromise your rights while building the strongest defense strategy possible – one that exploits every weakness in the prosecution’s case. Depending on your individual circumstances, with the right legal defense it can be possible to stay clear of the worst consequences of a DUI arrest, or even to avoid a conviction.
Contact the experienced DUI attorneys at Rosenstein Law Group at 480-248-7666 or online for a free consultation and case evaluation.