What happens after a Connecticut DUI arrest? What are the basic steps that you should be aware of if you face a DUI charge? Find out on this page, which is all about arraignments!
After a Connecticut DUI arrest, the arresting officer will put the driver in handcuffs and transport them to the local police station in a patrol car. Upon arrival at the police station, the person will be booked, processed, and put into a cell.
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At this point, the arresting agency will process the arrest and will request that the person submit to a blood, urine, or breath sample to test for alcohol or drug content in the body. Most of the time, this is in the form of a breathalyzer, which takes a breath sample and immediately reveals the person’s blood alcohol content.
At some point after this process, the person will get to call someone to pick them up and will be given a bail amount. In DUI cases, the bail is generally anywhere between $500 and $10,000. The bail is essentially an assurance to the court that the person will appear for their court date. The person will receive a summons for a court date to appear at.
The arraignment is the first time that the arrested person will appear in front of a judge for their DUI arrest. Whenever any person is issued a summons or arrested, they must present in court for the arraignment, which takes place at a Superior Court. DUI cases are held in courts for lower-level offenses, called Part B courts.
For those that are held in custody for not paying the bail set by the arresting agency, the arraignment will take place the next business day, but for those issued a summons, the arraignment will be a date set and indicated on the paperwork given upon release on bail.
The defendant will stand before a judge next to their attorney at the arraignment and will be advised of several rights by the judge before entering a plea. Generally, the defendant will either plead “guilty” or “not guilty.” For a DUI, it is almost always the case that the defendant pleads not guilty at arraignment. This is because it then offers the defense attorney the opportunity to collect evidence and have discussions with the prosecutor that will lead to some sort of deal offered by the prosecutor.
After the plea, the judge will then set a bond amount, which is generally based off of the recommendation of the commissioner and the prosecutor. In some cases, when the crime is not violent, the defendant will be given a promise to appear, promising to show up at all subsequent court dates. Other times, the judge will order a non-surety bond, which will only be paid if the defendant does not appear, or a surety bond, which must be paid in order to secure that they will appear. The judge considers many factors like bonds to the community, prior failures to appear in court, and family ties when determining bond.
Once the arraignment has been completed, the judge will give the defendant a new date to appear in court. The next step in the process is the pre-trial conferences with the prosecutor, where the defense attorney will negotiate with the prosecutor for a deal for the defendant. In most first-offense DUI cases, the prosecutor will offer deals such as substances abuse treatment and diversionary programs in exchange for the defendant forgoing trial.
If you have been arrested for a DUI in Connecticut and face arraignment in court, this can seem like a daunting and scary process. A good defense attorney will be able to minimize the amount of bond set by the judge and be able to advise the client of how to plead and what the next steps are. Call Lady DUI today for assistance with your DUI case.
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