One of our clients hit a curb while driving and disabled their vehicle in Dewitt Township. The police came across them and said that they smelled alcohol on our client’s breath. Our client is a CPL holder with a firearm in the vehicle and refused the breath test both at the scene and at the station, so blood was drawn. The client was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated, high BAC (.23 on the blood draw), and possession of a firearm while intoxicated. Convictions for these offenses would have been devastating to their career as our client is a government employee. On top of other consequences, their Michigan driver’s license would have been suspended.
As soon as she was hired, attorney DeBruin had the client participate in classes in an effort to show the court and the prosecutor that her client was being productive. She also advised the client to complete a firearms safety course.
While the client was participating in those activities, Tiffany DeBruin carefully reviewed the dash camera footage and police report in the case, as well as requested additional evidence to fight the charges. She did research, formulated a strong argument based on legal principles and weaknesses in the case, showed the prosecutor how the client was being proactive, and negotiated a plea deal of a minor traffic offense that would not abstract to the Secretary of State (thus saving the client’s driver’s license), as well as disturbing the peace. Attorney DeBruin made a compelling argument at the sentencing hearing and the client was sentenced to fines and costs, having had to appear at court only one time in the matter, and the case has been closed