Saluda County DUI Attorney and the DUI Arrest

When a driver is stopped in South Carolina by a police officer, he will begin looking for signs that the driver is under the influence. These signs and symptoms can include slurred speech, smell of alcohol on the driver's breath or clothes, field sobriety tests or the results of a portable breath test. In South Carolina officers may videotape the stop, sobriety testing, and arrest of drivers and often have recording devices which can record conversations between the officer and the driver. If the police officer believes that there's probable cause to think the driver is under the influence, the officer may arrest him or her. When someone is charged with a crime in South Carolina, the police officers who arrest him or her are required to inform him or her of the charges against him or her and bring the defendant before a judge or magistrate. Typically, this must be done within 48 hours of the arrest, but there can be exceptions. Unlike most states, in South Carolina, the police may not choose to release defendants who are charged with misdemeanor offenses or infractions with a citation. Instead, if the officer who stops a driver believes the driver has committed a DUI, the officer will arrest the driver and bring him or her before a judge or magistrate. For further information, contact your Saluda County DUI Attorney or your Orangeburg County DUI Attorney.