Honolulu Dui Attorney Explains The Importance Of An Events Journal

Your DUI defense can be aided by your creation of a journal that documents the events around the arrest. Every detail can be something your Honolulu DUI attorney may be able to use in your defense.

Being educated about your state laws and defense strategy could result in winning the case or securing lower charges. DUI and DWI cases differ both from legal and factual standpoints. Your defense requires you to know what circumstances surrounded the arrest.

The better your case preparation, you might also find the lower fees you experience. Attorneys will either operate on an hourly fee structure or a flat fee structure. Your Honolulu DUI attorney must be told all the facts about the case facing you.

The time after an arrest is a time of heightened stress.

Here is what your Honolulu DUI attorney will tell you to do: You should write an events journal that is very detailed regarding all of your activities for the preceding 24 hours. You should write down how much and when you slept, how much and what you ate and drank, and so on. The following outline can guide you.

More detail is better than less when making an event journal. You and your Honolulu DUI Attorney will be able to improve your defense with this added channel of communication.

Patterns of Sleep:

1. Where were you sleeping the previous night?

2. How long did you sleep for during that night?

3. How many hours had it been since you woke up from nightly sleep prior to the DUI/DWI stop?

Food And Drink: What was your supper meal the previous night?

4. Before you went to sleep, did you eat anything, and if so, what?

5. What did you eat at all your meals on the day you were arrested?

6. Between meals, did you snack on anything? What snacks did you eat?

7. List what you drank at meals and in between as well. Even detail how much water, soda, juice or milk you had.

List every contextual fact of the event:

1. Who was with you prior to being pulled over?

2. Consider your actions prior to being pulled over.

3. Were you alone in your vehicle when you were stopped?

4. During that day, what places did you go, and for each place, what did you do while there?

5. When you were stopped, were witnesses around?

6. Which police officers did you interact with when you were stopped and when you were at the station?

7. Who administered the official, in-station breath, urine and/or blood test?

The Arrest Event:

1. Exactly when (date and time) were you arrested, and where did it take place?

2. Obtain the name and badge number of the testing officer.

3. Did you refuse a test, and if so, were you made aware of the consequences of refusing by the arresting officers?

4. Remember as many details about the events leading up to your arrest as you can. Did you speak to the police officer or officers at all? Did the police officer(s) say anything to you, and if so, what?

5. Describe the outfit you had on at the time of arrest. Was your appearance neat? Was your clothing or your appearance unusual in any way? Did you have shoes that were remarkable in any way? (Heels?) Did you have any jewelry on?

7. Was your ability to walk impeded by either your clothing or choice of footwear? If this is the case, supply this information with as much detail as you can.

Advisement of Rights:

1. Were you made aware of your right to decline taking tests? Were you informed that this refusal might impact your case? If you were, were you also detailed about what the possible consequences would be for refusing?

Conditions on the Road, the Vehicle, the Weather:

1. Set the scene of the street you were on: describe traffic signs/signals, road width, number of lanes, and pavement type. Was the street smooth, bumpy, rough, or have any other remarkable characteristics?

2. Was the traffic light, moderate or heavy?

3. Was the weather clear, dry, wet, drizzling, rainy, or remarkable at all?

4. Provide as many details about your vehicle: its condition, make and model, VIN, license plate number, etc. Does your vehicle have distinguishing features of any kind? Does the car have any mechanical problems? Does controlling or steering it cause problems for you?

Health Situation:

1. When you were arrested, were you under a physician's care? If you were, what was it for?

2. Were you under the influence of medicine or prescription drugs? Be sure to list what you were taking, why, how much and how frequently you were taking it. List every medication, such as: Both non-prescription medication (ibuprofen, antihistamines, cough syrups, aspirin) and controlled substances (amphetamines, marijuana, barbiturates, cocaine, etc.

3. Do you suffer from any physical reasons for limping or being off-balance?

4. Are there any alternative explanations for slurred or difficult speech, such as a speech impediment or some physical disability?