Being pulled over for a DUI in Nevada can be a daunting and stressful experience. The decisions you make during this time can significantly impact your legal situation. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to take if you are stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence, emphasizing your rights and the importance of having an experienced attorney, like Josh Tomsheck, on your side.
Being arrested for a DUI (Driving under the Influence) is perhaps the most commonly charged criminal offenses in all of Las Vegas. The reason this crime is so commonly charged is two-fold. First, law enforcement actively pursues arrests in this type of offense. While there are no “robbery or rape patrols” there are DUI patrols with special units of officers dedicated to only the arrest of drivers who have been drinking. Secondly, while most individuals are generally law abiding, there are not many among us who couldn’t have been arrested for driving under the influence at some point in our lives.
So, what happens when you are arrested for DUI? When law enforcement pulls over a driver and determines that the person behind the wheel is impaired, they are immediately arrested. In Nevada, when someone is arrested for DUI pursuant to a breath test sample in excess of .08%, the person is not only arrested, but their Nevada Driver’s License is immediately confiscated by the arresting officer and the driver is handed what is commonly called a “pink sheet,” or more precisely a “Officer’s Certification of Cause and Notice of Revocation or Suspension” form. This paper means two (2) things. First, it means that the Officer has determined that there is probable cause to arrest the driver, in the form of a breath test in excess of .08%, meaning that (in the officer’s opinion) the driver should lose his or her privilege to drive. Secondly, this paperwork serves as the driver’s license (remember that the police officer will physically take the driver’s license) for a period of only seven (7) days before the driver’s license is revoked by the DMV.
Las Vegas DUI Attorney Blog