Broward DUI Lawyer Blog

The charge of DUI in Fort Lauderdale or anywhere else is an equal opportunity charge.

That means that anyone who has been drinking alcoholic beverages, including beer, then drives can be arrested, without planning or any kind of sinister scheme to commit the crime. Unlike crimes such as burglary or assault, DUI can be committed accidentally and yet they have long-term consequences.

The public usually becomes outraged when public servants or people in a position of trust are charged with DUI. It certainly makes the case more difficult for a Fort Lauderdale DUI defense lawyer because the media and public outcry can certainly affect the decision-making process of a prosecutor and judge.

Such is the case of a teacher in Fort Myers, as reported by CBS News in Fort Myers.

The news station reports that a 62-year-old teacher, who has 30 years of experience working with young people, was recently arrested and charged with DUI after crashing her car in a middle-school parking lot recently. She is accused of driving drunk to school.

The news station reports that the middle school teacher slammed her Kia SUV into a stopped car in the parking lot of her school. The teacher told authorities she swung into the parking spot too wide, but a school resource officer told police he saw the teacher stumbling and that her speech was "thick tongued."

Sheriff's deputies conducted four field sobriety tests and the news station reports that she failed all the tests. When deputies searched her vehicle, they found a lunchbox with two opened and empty beer cans.

The news station reports that she was released on pre-trial supervision by a judge a day after her arrest. This was reportedly her third DUI in the time she has taught for the school district. Currently, she was an exceptional education teacher at two middle schools in the Fort Myers area. She was placed on paid administrative leave while the school district conducts an investigation.

Like drug court, which helps people who are addicted to drugs get treatment in lieu of hard jail or prison time for minor drug crimes, sometimes a skilled Fort Lauderdale DUI defense lawyer can help get a defendant into a treatment program or into a court program that allows for help instead of punishment.

The criminal justice system usually isn't high on mercy, but rather is designed to punish and teach adults a lesson. Juvenile court is known for helping to rehabilitate defendants, but adults typically don't get such treatment. But there are times where prosecutors and judges can be convinced that alcohol treatment would serve a better purpose than incarceration or probation.

But it depends on the case and the personnel involved. That is just one possibility. Otherwise, aggressively defending the charges may be the best bet if prosecutors take a hard-line stance against helping a defendant who wants to be helped.