Concord Police Lieutenant Sean Ford had a simple suggestion for an alleged DUI suspect his department recently arrested: “Make better choices.”
A Concord police officer stopped Matthew Miller, 28, near the state prison on North State Street in the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 10, 2019, for lane violations. After Miller failed a field sobriety test, he was taken to the Concord police station.
During the booking process, the arresting officer left Miller in a holding cell room to gather some paperwork, and Miller took advantage of being alone to allegedly destroy an overhead fire prevention sprinkler. This, in turn, tripped other sprinklers into coming on, which then flooded the booking room, several cell blocks, and the processing room. In all, six inches of water filled the booking room and damaged computer stations and electronic fingerprint machines. The damage is expected to cost thousands of dollars and the booking room had to be closed for hours while the flood was addressed.
Miller, who would have likely been released after seeing a bail commissioner, is now facing two felony charges for interfering with a fire alarm system and criminal mischief, along with the DUI charge. The felony charges alone could lead to six years in state prison for Miller.
What To Do If You Are Stopped for DUI
If you are stopped by police and then charged with an alleged DUI, there are some simple steps you should follow. First, remain calm and be polite to the officer(s). Follow their instructions and cooperate by answering their questions directly but simply (in other words, don’t provide information that they don’t ask for).
If the police officer believes that you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he or she may ask you to perform a field breath test. Under the “implied consent” law, when you drive on New Hampshire public roads, you give the State permission to test you for drugs or alcohol if a police officer has reasonable grounds to believe you are under the influence. If you refuse a pre-arrest or post-arrest blood/breath/urine test, you will automatically lose your license. In most cases, it is probably better to cooperate with testing and then hire a trusted DUI/DWI attorney like the ones at Tenn And Tenn, PA to challenge the test results or the procedure in which the test was conducted.
What Not to Do If You Are Arrested for DUI
If you are arrested and booked for a DUI, do not make matters worse for yourself by assaulting the police officer or damaging the police station as Matthew Miller did. If this had been his first DWI offense, he could have just been facing a fine of $500 to $1200, a revoked license for up to nine months, and mandatory participation in an Impaired Driver Care Management Program.
Experienced New Hampshire DUI / DWI Attorneys
Even if you are convicted of a DUI/DWI, you have rights and you deserve quality representation from trusted attorneys. At Tenn And Tenn, PA, our firm’s knowledge of the law and experience will ensure that your case is handled correctly and with your best interests in mind. Contact us to defend your DUI/DWI charge, and let us explain the potential consequences that you face.