It is natural to feel distressed if you find out that your college student child has been arrested for DUI. For one thing, you may feel betrayed in that you are spending all of this money for your child to get the best education only to discover that he or she is not using time wisely.
However, there is no denying that a DUI conviction can seriously impact your child’s life. For example, some employers do not consider applicants who have records, especially if the convictions are felonies. Depending on the school and charge, your child might even receive a suspension or have to leave school permanently. Here is a look at a few possibilities for a DUI defense, but as always, they depend on the specific circumstances.
Due diligence not followed
If your child had been at a party that police were surveilling and then your child drove off in his or her car, police may have invented the reason to pull your child over. The authorities must have a legitimate reason to pull someone over; suspecting him or her of being at a party where alcohol may or may not have been present is not enough. Police officers may also have performed chemical tests in subpar conditions.
Not being aware of the alcohol (or the actual amount/type of alcohol)
Unfortunately, it does happen in college sometimes that someone spikes drinks such as punch. In fact, it is entirely possible that your child may have been drinking alcohol without realizing it. Also, what is troubling is that many men try to get young women drunk so they can take advantage of them. Your daughter might not have known exactly how much alcohol she was really taking in. Witnesses can testify as to what her mindset was and what she thought she was drinking (a virgin or light alcoholic beverage versus hard alcohol, for example).
There are many other potential defenses, of course, and the best avenue usually depends on the specifics of the case.