My name is Steve Neighbors and I am the founder of Neighbors Law Office. As a Wyandotte County DUI attorney, I have been practicing DUI defense all throughout the county for over 30 years. Through the course of my legal career, I have become adept at challenging the reliability of breath tests and blood tests, as well as field sobriety tests.
Who you choose to defend you against DUI charges is extremely important and that decision could mean the difference between a DUI conviction and getting your charges dropped. For this reason, whenever you are facing DUI charges, it's a wise idea to select an attorney who has focused a great deal of their career on the field of DUI defense. As a Kansas attorney, I am also licensed to practice in the states of Arkansas and Missouri.
The field of DUI defense centers around the evidence collected from chemical tests. All states use a breath alcohol test or a blood test to calculate a driver's blood alcohol concentration (BAC). While these tests might be good, they are not foolproof by any means. All aspects of the DUI arrest can be called into question and this includes the legality of the traffic stop and the field sobriety tests as well. A police officer cannot pull you over on suspicion of drunk driving on a hunch, nor can they park outside of a nightclub or bar waiting for patrons to leave.
They must first have probable cause to pull you over and this may involve weaving in and out of a traffic lane, driving too slowly, or speeding. As far as field sobriety tests are concerned, there are many factors that can cause a driver to fail such tests. The driver can have a medical condition which makes it impossible for them to balance on one leg, or it can be windy outside and this can cause the driver to stumble, or their shoes can play a role as well. As your attorney, it's my job to question all aspects of your DUI case in order to search for any potential errors or flaws that might exonerate you.
I can handle simple first DUI offenses, to multiple DUIs for 2nd, 3rd, and subsequent DUI offenses, and DUIs involving leaving the scene of an accident or underage DUI. In all cases that I take on, I fight the license suspension and I also represent my clients at their DMV hearings and at their criminal hearings.
While the majority of DUIs are misdemeanors, multiple DUI's and DUIs causing bodily injury or death are frequently prosecuted as felony DUIs in Kansas. The DUI penalties for a simple first DUI offense with a BAC ranging between .08% and below 0.15% include 30-day driver's license suspension, 100 hours of community service, fines ranging between $750 and $1250 and 48 hours in jail, if not longer. If your BAC was 0.15% or higher, then you face a 12-month driver's license suspension and the installation of an ignition interlock device upon reinstatement. You are responsible for the cost of installation and the monthly maintenance fees associated with the ignition interlock device.
Once you pay a traffic ticket, you are essentially admitting guilt and the ticket goes on your driving record. We all know that traffic tickets add points to a driver's record, and when you accumulate too many points, your driver's license is suspended. Perhaps the most costly aspect of a traffic ticket is not the price of the ticket, but the increased auto insurance premiums that follow.
I have been handling DUI and traffic cases for 30 years and I have garnered an excellent reputation for reducing if not eliminating the consequences of a traffic ticket. I can assist clients who have been ticket for the following: speeding hit and run, reckless driving, and many more traffic violations.
I also handle criminal defense cases involving domestic violence, domestic battery, and harassment. If you were accused of violating a protection order or violating a stalking order, I can defend you as well. There are always two sides to every story and everyone has a right to a defense, no matter what they are being charged with. It's the prosecution's role to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are guilty and it's my job to prove otherwise.
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