Articles Posted in DUI/OVI laws and cases

R.W. lay in the hospital bed waiting for his injuries to be treated. A police officer came in the room and said she wanted to talk with him about the accident. The officer read to him the B.M.V. 2255 form regarding the consequences of taking and refusing the blood test. She asked him to submit to a blood test, and he refused. The officer wrote him a ticket for O.V.I. (D.U.I.) and imposed a one-year Administrative License Suspension (A.L.S.); the consequence for refusing the blood test.

Continue Reading

A guy rode his bike to the ATM because he thought he was too drunk to drive (he probably needed the cash for Taco Bell or White Castle). To his surprise, a police officer arrested him for O.V.I. (D.U.I.) as he rode through a shopping center parking lot. As part of a plea agreement, the O.V.I. charge was amended, and the bicyclist pled guilty to a charge of Reckless Operation. In response, the city council of Upper Arlington, Ohio is considering toughening the city’s laws regarding riding a bicycle under the influence.

Continue Reading

When we think of O.V.I. (D.U.I.) cases, we tend to think of cases involving a person driving under the influence of alcohol. However, Ohio O.V.I. law also prohibits operating a vehicle under the influence of a drug of abuse, and many prescription medications are “drugs of abuse”. In a recent O.V.I. case, the court of appeals stated the defendant could be convicted of O.V.I. for operating a vehicle under the influence of prescribed medication.

Continue Reading

Discovery is the process by which the prosecution and defense exchange evidence. In Ohio, the discovery process for criminal cases (including O.V.I./D.U.I. cases) is governed by Rule 16 of the Ohio Rules Of Criminal Procedure. Rule 16 was recently revised, and the revised rule became effective on July 1, 2010.

Continue Reading

Was that car going 47 mph or 45 mph in the 45 zone? Can you tell? Can a trained police officer tell? A recent Ohio Supreme Court case suggests they can.

In Barberton v. Jenney, the Ohio Supreme Court held that a police officer’s unaided visual estimation of a vehicle’s speed is sufficient evidence to support a conviction for speeding without independent verification of the vehicle’s speed if the officer is trained, is certified, and is experienced in visually estimating vehicle speed.

Continue Reading

A police officer is only authorized to administer breath tests in O.V.I. (D.U.I.) cases if the officer has a valid operator’s permit issued by the Ohio Department of Health. To obtain an operator permit, an officer must complete a basic operator training course. Operator permits expire one year after the permit’s issue date, and an officer can apply to renew a permit up to six months before it expires. To renew a permit, an officer must complete an in-service renewal course. These regulations are contained in chapter 3701-53 of the Ohio Administrative Code. A breath test is only admissible if the operator had a valid permit.

Continue Reading

Texting while driving is dangerous. In fact, studies indicate that texting while driving is actually more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A study by the Transport Research Laboratory found that texting slows reaction time by 35% while being at the legal limit for alcohol slows reaction time by 12%. A study by Car And Driver showed that the time it took drivers to stop while texting was considerably higher than when the same drivers were under the influence of alcohol.

Continue Reading

When most people think of “Vega”, they think about the 1970s Chevrolet vehicle, named as one of the “10 most Embarrassing Award Winners in Automotive History” by CarAndDriver.com. When Ohio DUI attorneys think of Vega, we think about the Ohio Supreme Court decision regarding our ability to challenge the reliability of breath testing machines.

Continue Reading

Contact Information