The Dominy Law Firm represents clients for Clintonville, Ohio DUI / OVI cases. If you are resident of Clintonville and you have to go to court for a DUI/OVI charge, you may feel a little bit in the dark. Nobody expects to be charged with DUI/OVI, so most people don’t know much about it. When you get charged, you want to know more about the court process, the evidence, and the potential defenses.If you are resident of Clintonville and you have to go to court for a DUI / OVI charge, you may feel a little bit in the dark. Nobody expects to be charged with DUI / OVI, so most people don’t know much about it. When you get charged, you want to know more about the court process, the possible sentence, and the potential defenses.
This site sheds some light on those issues. To learn about those issues, you can begin with the DUI / OVI page and continue with the sub-pages with discussions on specific topics. It would also be helpful to read the guide ‘Ohio DUI / OVI Guide’. That guide is a quick read and discloses what you need to know before going to court. It is available for sale in online bookstores, and you can also download the free e-book version from this website.
Although Clintonville has a population of about 30,000, it is not an independent city. Instead, it is a neighborhood within the city of Columbus. As Clintonville does not have its own police department, the law enforcement agencies which patrol the area are the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
DUI / OVI cases arising from the Clintonville area are filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court. In the Municipal Court, the first court appearance is an arraignment, and it will be held within five business days of when the traffic ticket was issued. At the arraignment, you are given the choices of pleading guilty, pleading no contest, and pleading not guilty. Pleading guilty or no contest at the arraignment will result in a sentence being imposed without an opportunity to review the prosecution’s evidence and plan a defense. Pleading not guilty at the arraignment will result in the case being scheduled for a pretrial hearing.
Before the pretrial hearing, you will have the opportunity to exchange evidence with the prosecutor’s office. At the pretrial hearing, you or your attorney can negotiate with the prosecutor in an effort to improve the outcome of the case. If you cannot reach an agreement at the pretrial, there may be a motion hearing regarding the admissibility of evidence and ultimately a trial for a jury or judge to determine whether guilt was proven. The information in this website and the e-book should help you decide whether you want to plead guilty or contest the DUI / OVI.
Evidence In DUI / OVI Cases
The evidence in OVI cases comes mostly from the officer’s testimony and tests for levels of alcohol and/or drugs in blood/breath/urine. Officers go through training for DUI detection. During that training, they are taught to recognize evidence of intoxication when a vehicle is in motion and during their personal contact with the vehicle’s driver. If evidence of intoxication is observed, the officers typically have the driver perform field sobriety tests. If the officer is convinced, from the totality of the circumstances, there is probable cause to believe the driver is under the influence, the officer arrests the driver and requests a sample of the driver’s blood, breath, or urine. The sample is subjected to a chemical test, and the test result is introduced to prove the driver was operating the vehicle with a prohibited concentration of alcohol and/or drugs.
If you decide to contest the DUI/OVI and try to improve the outcome of your case, the assistance of an experienced DUI/OVI lawyer can be very valuable. Not all lawyers, however, have the same level of experience. The Dominy Law Firm has lawyers with expertise in DUI/OVI defense: it has been the focus of the Dominy Law Firm since 2002. As DUI/OVI is the focus of the firm, the attorneys regularly participate in DUI/OVI training programs, and they also teache DUI/OVI law to other Ohio lawyers at state and local seminars.
The Dominy Law Firm has represented many clients from the Clintonville area. If you are a Clintonville resident and you think we may be the right firm for your DUI/OVI case, you can learn more on the About Us page. If you are interested in the outcomes of past cases and the satisfaction level of past clients, please see our case results page and the client reviews page. To schedule a free phone consultation with us, please call 614-717-1177 or by email the Dominy Law Firm.