Santa Ana DUI Arrest
Pulling Up To A Dui Checkpoint
Mike just left a local Santa Ana restaurant after dinner with a friend. As he was driving down 19th street, he could see flashing lights up ahead. As he pulled closer, he saw the sign: DUI Checkpoint Ahead
Mike started running the calculations in his head:
- He was at the restaurant for 2 hours
- He had a total of 4 glasses of beer
- he had eaten a full meal
- he weighed about 200 pounds
Although Mike didn’t think he had anything to be concerned about, he was still worried. He had heard all the stories about people blowing a .08 and going to jail. Mike was an upstanding citizen; he had never even gotten a speeding ticket, much less gotten arrested. As he pulled up to the police officer signaling him to stop, Mike rolled down the window. The officer asked for Mike’s license and questioned if he had been drinking that night. As Mike handed over his license, he told the officer he had one beer with dinner. The officer shined his flashlight onto Mike’s face and studied him for several seconds. He then asked Mike to pull over to a spot about 30 feet ahead, where there were 2 other police officers waiting. As he pulled forward, Mike felt himself start to sweat. One of the officers asked Mike to turn off his car and step out. He asked Mike where he was coming from, how much he had to drink, and if he had anything illegal on him or in his car. Mike repeated his story about having just the one beer. The cop then directed him out of the way of traffic to a safe area. The police officer then proceeded to have Mike do several things:
- Stand with his feet and tip his head backwards
- Recite a part of the alphabet
- Count backwards from the number 10
- Stand on one leg for 30 seconds
Mike felt he had done fine, but the officer felt otherwise. After being questioned some more, Mike blew into a breathalyzer. According to the officer, Mike had blown a .09%. After 15 minutes of formalities, Mike was arrested for Driving Under the Influence, and taken to the Santa Ana Jail to start the Booking Procedure. After the booking procedure, Mike will have to go through an arraignment hearing.