I go to court on the 30th for simple possession of like half a gram. After the cops had patted me down, but 5-10 minutes later they dug in my pockets, took out the cigarette box it was in and opened it and arrested me. I'll never forget the look on the one cops face as his buddy pulled out the baggie. It was a look of, "HA! We got you, what are you gonna do about it??" I'm probably already losing my license for 6 months, but they took blood and I was still kinda high when it happened so I'll probably lose it for a year and a half as well as a DUI charge. I had hit something in the middle of the road, not because I was high but because I didn't know where I was, it was dark and late, I had worked hard all day that day and my mind wasnt in the right place. I made a mistake. But I had to get home for work in the morning. They impounded my car for the night, which was the main reason I lost that job. I really don't want to lose my license because I felt I did NOTHING wrong. In that same city, probably not even 2 miles away someone was being robbed or raped while they were worrying about the innocent guy with $10 worth of flowers in his pocket TL;DR: I'm at risk of: either going to a first offender program and get on probation for a year OR go to jail for 30 days. For a HALF GRAM! and they took blood from my arm, so they're going to try and charge me with a DUI(weed, not alcohol). If I'm charged, I lose my license for a year and a half. 6 months if I'm just charged with the weed. I've never been in legal trouble in my life before this. It's fucking BULLSHIT how they can punish me like a thug for doing something harmless that I believe in. Now I understand why so many people protest and hate the "establishment" This was in fucking h******l, the cops knew there was probably worse stuff going on in the city but they choose to crack down on the non-violent stoner and ruin his year because it's an easier job for them Is there anything I can do to lessen this?
The thing is OP, regardless of the reason, you HIT something in the MIDDLE of the ROAD. It doesn't matter WHY you hit it. Nobody cares about why you hit it. It's all about that if something is in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU and you hit it because you didn't see it for ANY reason, you probably shouldn't have been driving. When you tell the judge that you hit something because you didn't see it because it was dark and scary out, the judge is going to laugh and tell you that you shouldn't be driving anyplace if you can't SEE what's in front of you. It's too bad you had half a gram and all, and no idea how that's going to effect what happens to you in court, but if you can't see where you're driving, you shouldn't be driving. If you can't drive at night because it's dark and scary, you shouldn't be driving at night. What did you hit? it must've been something BIG if the police had to come out.
I had my GPS out because, like I said, I didn't know where I was. I was kinda disyracted, I guess. It was one of those road dividers. No one was hurt. Yea, that was dumb but I didn't wanna get lost or whatever. And the cop was perched somewhere where he could see it, it wasn't like someone e called them.
Do the time...They might cut you a break on the suspension if you voluntarily go to jail. Discuss with an attorney or public defender (for all the help they are) and they should be able to tell you what you can do in your area, laws are different everywhere so it may or may not fly, but that is about the only way you possibly won't lose your license.
First of all, I'm sorry OP, that really fucking blows. This is why people dislike cops. Secondly, I know you're thinking "why me?" I totally get it, but it's best to not think about this until all is said and done because this line of thinking will get you nowhere. Third, the best thing to do right now is to just get an attorney. It will probably cost a lot now, but a DUI will literally cost you tens of thousands of dollars down the road. Just pay up now and get it taken care of while you still can rather than have to still be be dealing with this stupid bullshit for years to come. Think of it this way, when you try and represent yourself in court, you have 2, maybe three doors open to you. Plead guilty, try and fight it and probably lose, or compromise but your record gets fucked. You've probably never been to court so you will just get taken advantage of since you have no idea what's going on. If you get a lawyer (a competent one at least), they will literally take care of everything. You don't even have to go to court. They will also be able to get an accurate read on how serious the situation is based on the evidence, which is valuable. They know how to deal with the judge and the prosecutor and may be able to negotiate a deal for you. These negotiations are not available to the general public. All of that evidence the police got? Without an attorney you're literally fucked. If you have an attorney, the police and the city will have to make a case with the evidence. If you have an attorney they might realize it's too much work and instead just reach an agreement with your attorney so they don't have to go through all of the paperwork. \\ Just think, if you plead guilty you will have no license. How much money do you think not having a car is going to cost you? Just get an attorney. At the very least they may be able to save you your license. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but this is the best thing you can do right now. A ton of people get DUI's so you're not alone. It happens relatively often. In the grand scheme of things, it's not THAT bad, but do your best to fight it. A lot of people get DUI's, but a lot of people will also tell you how much of a pain in the ass it is to deal with this. Just get an attorney man. Good luck P.s. What state did this happen in? This could really affect your chances