There are both short- and long-term consequences you might face if you were arrested for an OUI in Connecticut. These would depend largely on the time of day or week you were arrested, the situation of your arrest and future legal results of your case. The number of previous arrests you had would also probably factor into the eventual outcome.
One of the most important things would be not to panic. Your actions, and those of the police officers with whom you interact, would likely form the basis of the negotiations and legal proceedings to come.
According to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles website, the short-term consequences of an OUI stop could include:
- Your detention, police cruiser transportation and holding until posting of bail
- Presumption of OUI, given a certain BAC test level
- The towing of your car
Long-term consequences could include criminal conviction and all the problems that come along with it. These problems could include jail time, damage to your reputation and personal hardship. The court might also suspend your driving privileges, or else issue you a temporary or conditional license.
Politicians, including sheriffs and legislators, regularly target drunk driving in their tough-on-crime campaigns. Police officers are sometimes overzealous in their enforcement of the relevant laws. This environment sometimes creates a paradigm in which individual rights are treated as secondary concerns to the state’s agenda of pursuing OUI charges.
Since every case is different, you would probably want to protect your rights by thoroughly analyzing your situation beyond this basic information. This article is not intended as legal advice.