A 33-year-old Georgia man has been accused of driving under the influence while he was reportedly on his way to a gun range. Sources say that the defendant was taken into custody after allegedly failing the field sobriety tests he was asked to undergo. He has been charged with DUI.
The incident reportedly occurred on Aug. 15. Witnesses are said to have called police to report a man with a gun near an Extended Stay Motel. Authorities contacted the man and found several weapons inside the trunk of his vehicle. Sources say that the man said he planned to pick a friend up and then go together to a gun range.
However, officers suspected the man of DUI after allegedly finding unlabeled pill bottles in his possession. In addition, he is described as having exhibited bloodshot eyes and body tremors, which may have been signs of intoxication. Police detained the man shortly after the sobriety tests were conducted.
Although the reports indicate that the man failed the field sobriety tests, the evaluation of such testing can be highly subjective. Whether or not someone fails a sobriety test is often left to the discretion of the presiding officer, which may not be a reliable indicator of intoxication in all cases. Furthermore, only a few field sobriety tests are standardized. If the administered test was non-standard, that may further call into question estimations of the defendant’s alleged lack of sobriety. Similarly, though the physiological symptoms described can be characteristic of DUI, they can also be caused by factors wholly unrelated to it.
For these and other reasons, someone accused of DUI may wish to have the charges against them meticulously reviewed by an attorney. It may be possible to present alternative explanations for a defendant’s physiological state or demeanor and thereby attempt to have the charges dismissed.
Source: NorthFulton.com, “DUI driver headed to gun range”, September 04, 2014