A Tampa newspaper employee has put himself into the headlines this week. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa publisher, on Gandy and South West Shore Boulevard. The defendant, 50-year old Joe DeLuca, allegedly sped 20 miles over the posted speed limit, followed other vehicles too closely and swerved out of his lane.
The arresting officer reported that DeLuca failed field sobriety testing and showed "multiple signs of impairment." The officer also stated that the Defendant had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. The Defendant refused to submit to a blood alcohol test and the officer took him into custody at the Hillsborough County Jail. He faces charges of DUI and refusal to submit to breath test. He is awaiting trial out on $500 bond.
I do not represent Mr. DeLuca, nor do I possess information that may jeopardize attorney/client privileges. I am an experienced Tampa DUI Defense Lawyer with a firm that possess over 100 years of combined experience. I have successfully handled countless DUI cases for my clients.
Florida law requires drivers to submit to blood alcohol testing when requested to do so by an officer. Drivers must consent to this stipulation in order to obtain their Florida driver's license. However, there are pros and cons to agreeing to submit to field sobriety and blood alcohol testing.
The pro to submitting to field sobriety or alcohol testing is that it could prove your innocence if you have not been drinking and driving. The con is that if you have in fact been drinking, you are providing law enforcement with additional information to build their case against you. However, if you refuse alcohol testing, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will automatically suspend your license. The Florida legal limit is .08 and depending on your size, age, gender, the choice of drink and whether or not the drinker has eaten or slept, will determine the amount of drinks to impair a driver pursuant to Florida law.
If you are facing a Tampa DUI case, contact a knowledgeable Tampa DUI Attorney to fight the charges against you. There are many layers to your case that go beyond your arrest. A Tampa DUI Lawyer will dissect the criminal charges, help you to successfully resolve and put this case behind you.
