03 Dec Maryland man charged with DUI after single-vehicle crash

On behalf of Jack B. Rubin, PA posted in Drunk Driving on Wednesday, December 3, 2014.

Maryland police took a 31-year-old man into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after he was allegedly involved in a single-vehicle accident in Berlin during the early morning hours of Nov. 23. Officers say that they charged the man with drunk driving after he performed poorly during a number of field sobriety exercises.

According to a Maryland State Police report, troopers encountered the man after arriving at a residence on Shingle Landing Road. The homeowner had called police at approximately 5 a.m. reporting that an individual unknown to them was knocking on the door. After arriving at the scene, troopers determined that the man knocking on the door was intoxicated and had been involved in a recent motor vehicle accident.

After a brief investigation, troopers concluded that the man had been proceeding northbound on U.S. Route 113 when he lost control of his pickup truck and drove into a ditch. Troopers say that the vehicle had been towing a flatbed trailer at the time of the accident. The man is then believed to have walked to a nearby residence.

Field sobriety tests are relied upon by law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland to help officers determine if a driver is impaired, but these tests are subjective in nature and may not be reliable if the police officer involved has not been adequately trained. A criminal defense attorney could challenge the results in court based on these grounds, which could possibly lead to a reduction of charges or a dismissal of the case.

Source: WBOC, “Man arrested for DUI following single-vehicle crash in Berlin“, November 23, 2014