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Charles Barkley Is Off the Air After He Gets A DUI, Now He Must Be Careful Due To The Severe Penalites Resulting From A Drunk Driving Conviction

Basketball great Charles Barkley is going off the air after he is arrested for a DUI. While he was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, the legal limit for DUI is the same there as it is for a Los Angeles and Southern California DUI, .08 percent blood alcohol.

For personal reasons Barkley will be taking a leave of absence from sports announcing for at least several weeks,so that he can work on his personal problems resulting from the December 31st arrest.

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TNT made the announcement only hours after the famous sports announcer was pulled over for a DUI. He failed his field sobriety tests after he was asked to step out of his car. Once he failed the tests he was then formally arrested and charged with DUI. According to reports, Barkley had been drinking at a local popular night spot and was pulled over as part of a DUI task force. Once he was taken to the police station he agreed to a breath test which indicated that he had a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .149 at the time he was driving, almost twice the legal limit of .08 in Arizona.

The consequences for a Los Angeles DUI or a DUI in Southern California can have major effects on a person’s life. It is important that a person stopped for a DUI their rights. That means when a person can resuse a breath test and when they cannot.


First, a person stopped for a Los Angeles DUI, or a Long Beach DUI, or Pasadena DUI, or San Fernando Valley DUI, or a DUI anywhere in Southern California have the same rights. You may refuse to take the Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) test. This is a breathalyzer test out near your car when the officer first stops you. Many people think that must comply with this request. You do NOT have to take this test. However, if you do, this test will be used to corroborate the officer’s suspicion that you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you fail you will be taken to jail. If you do not take the test it will be harder for the officer to use his or her discretion to make the determination that you are drunk diving.

If you do take the PAS test and fail, you will automatically be arrested and advised of your rights and taken to the station. There, you will be given the option of either a Los Angeles blood test or a breath test. You must take one of these tests. You may not refuse to take either a breath test or blood test once you have been arrested. If you take the blood test then there will many specific steps that the officer must follow before a certified and licensed person may take a sample from you. If you decide to take a breath test then you will have the opportunity to breath in to a specialized machine which will immediately measure your BAC. The results for a blood test may not be know for days or even weeks after the sample has been taken.

If you are unlucky enough to be charged with a DUI, then you should know that the penalties are severe. For that reason it is important to immediately hire a Los Angeles DUI attorney. As you will see below, hiring you own private aggressive criminal defense attorney, in which you are successful, the cost of the attorney pays for itself in the saving from the potential increased insurance, court costs, probation costs, very expensive alcohol course, loss of your license and the very real possibility of loss of your job.

The penalties for a first time DUI in Southern California are as follows:
-Mandatory jail time.
-Fines of up to $1,000 plus court costs and penalty assessments which triple the fine.
-Mandatory suspension of driver’s license.
-Alcohol Education classes which are thousands of dollars.
-Probation
-Possible loss of professional licenses
-Interlock device could be placed on vehicle and costs will be incurred.

For that reason, hiring a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney will more then pay for itself.

If you have been charges with a DUI in Los Angeles or if you have been arrested for driving under the influence in Southern California, please contact Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut for 24/7 assistance by phone at (323) 464-6453 or toll free at (888) 334-6344 or online.

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