As the largest city in Contra Costa County, California—and the 8th largest city in the Bay area—Concord is located 29 miles northeast of San Francisco and about an hour southwest of Sacramento. Concord is well known for the Todos Santos Plaza (Concord was originally named Todos Santos) which hosts free summer concerts and a bustling farmer’s market.
If you are a resident of this lively city, you may have stopped off at Vinnie’s Bar and Grill, located on Mt. Diablo Street in Concord. Vinnie’s offers live music on Friday and Saturday nights with no cover charge, as well as a wide variety of mixed drinks and lively locals. Milo’s Lounge Bar, located on Meadow Lane in Concord, might be more to your taste with its “neighborhood bar” feel, stiff drinks, pool tables, and live bands.
Whether you spend your down time at one of these establishments, or you have another favorite, one thing you probably don’t expect is to be stopped on your way home on suspicion of DUI. Whether you are pulled over by a police officer who believes your driving indicated impairment, or if you found yourself in the middle of a DUI checkpoint on Concord Avenue and Market Street, you could be facing serious consequences if you are convicted.
Because of those serious consequences, you should make every effort to speak to an experienced Concord, California DUI attorney as soon as possible in order to minimize the adverse consequences of your DUI charges. Attorney Nabiel C. Ahmed has helped hundreds avoid conviction or reduced their penalties—call (510) 907-6600 for a free consultation now.
Can You “Beat” Concord DUI Charges?
Far too many people charged with DUI simply plead guilty and suffer the consequences. Some do this simply to have the entire thing over and done with, while others are sure they will be convicted, so feel like it would be futile to fight the charges. You should never, ever plead guilty to DUI charges in the state of California, since there are many, many DUI defenses which could result in reduced—or even dismissed—charges.
Below are just a few of the ways your attorney could challenge your DUI charges:
- Breathalyzer error: environmental factors, your specific physiological conditions, police mishandling of the machine or instrument malfunction create mistaken results
- Breathalyzer accuracy: mouth alcohol resulting from dental work, burps, acid reflux or heartburn lead to heightened readings
- False BAC reading: diabetes, hypoglycemia, or a low-carb diet can heighten BAC results
- Rising blood alcohol levels from the alcohol not reaching its peak absorption rate at the time you were stopped and tested
- Inaccurate blood testing: contamination, improper storage, or blood fermentation create inaccurate test results
- Improper collection, storage or analysis of BAC results
- No probable cause to stop you
- No probable cause to arrest you for DUI
- You were not advised of your Miranda rights
- There are legitimate explanations for physical symptoms of DUI like fatigue, allergies, illness, or physical injury
- The DUI checkpoint where you were stopped did not adhere to the necessary legal requirements, and
- Police misconduct may have been a factor in your arrest.
There are other ways to fight your charges that focus on the accuracy of the tests. For example, our attorney can fight to have certain results considered inadmissible based on certain circumstances. The field sobriety tests you took are not an accurate indicator of your impairment, plus such factors as poor lighting, uneven surfaces, inclement weather, awkward footwear and officer-induced intimidation can explain poor performance of a field sobriety test.
As we mentioned in our last blog, there are other explanations besides DUI for bad driving, like distraction, changing radio stations, eating, dropping something, and others.
If you have been charged with a Concord, California DUI, it is imperative that you speak to a knowledgeable DUI attorney as soon as possible in order to ensure your rights are protected and for a more positive outcome to your charges. Call the Law Office of Nabiel C. Ahmed at (510) 907-6600 or contact us with our short online form.