DUI Attorney Bellevue
Drunk driving (DUI or DWI) cases are often won or lost on aggressive pretrial motions to suppress evidence such as the Breathalyzer breath test, blood tests, and/or field sobriety tests that might have otherwise been considered by a judge or jury. This is only one of the reasons you should contact a lawyer as soon as you have been arrested on DUI charges.
Aggressive DUI Attorney
I'm John Polito, a DUI attorney in Bellevue who has been defending drunk driving cases for 30 years. I provide tireless defense representation to clients in Seattle, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Tacoma, and other cities in western Washington state.
My aggressive pretrial DUI defense tactics regularly result in favorable plea bargains for my clients. In fact, many of my clients become eligible for deferred prosecution. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to avoid driver's license suspension and insurance sanctions by agreeing to undergo alcohol counseling.
In Breathalyzer/breath test or blood test refusal cases, the jury needs to understand that a refusal usually occurs because the defendant did not fully comprehend the consequences of a refusal. The prosecution wants the jury to believe that the only reason you did not take the test was because you knew you were guilty. The prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you were driving drunk, however, and to allow the jury to focus on a Breathalyzer refusal alone does not fully establish this. As an experienced Bellevue DUI/DWI defense lawyer, I am readily able to communicate this idea to jurors when undue attention is placed upon the failure to take a Breathalyzer breath test.
Drunk driving cases are often dependent upon chemical blood alcohol content (BAC) results and the subjective results of field sobriety tests. In DUI/DWI defense cases involving breath test challenges, I will refute the expert testimony of the prosecution by using testimony from my own battery of experts. I enlist knowledgeable specialists when going up against lab technicians hired by state prosecutors and paid for by state funds. If you have been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, my team of experts is also skilled in refuting drug recognition expert (DRE) opinions.
It is incumbent upon any aggressive defense attorney to be able to impeach police officer testimony and point out improper procedure, inconsistencies, and exaggerations. The first opportunity for a defense attorney to do this is through aggressive cross-examination of a police officer during pre-trial motions, which are used to suppress evidence or dismiss all charges. This has to be done in a respectful and professional way, but if done correctly, it will often lead a judge to either dismiss a case or suppress harmful evidence. Even if a case is not dismissed or evidence suppressed at a pre-trial hearing, these aggressive efforts often lead a jury to find reasonable doubt in a DUI/DWI case—thus acquitting the defendant of all charges.
If you face drinking and driving charges, please be aware that the Department of Licensing will seek to suspend your driving privileges. If you rely on your car to get to work or school, this can prove to be a formidable punishment. I will aggressively fight the Department of Licensing's attempts to suspend or revoke your driving privileges. I will also take every step necessary to obtain a temporary license that enables you to drive for vocational or educational purposes.
Free consultation: Contact me, Bellevue DUI attorney John J. Polito, for a no-cost assessment of your DUI defense case and your options. From my office in Bellevue, Washington, I serve clients in Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County. I accept all major credit cards for your convenience. Please call my office at (425) 646-7111, or my cell phone at (206) 371-9870.