July 9, 2012: OWI-1st (with .166 blood test result) Reduced to Reckless Driving

RRE has a very good job for a bovine genetics company that requires him to drive extensively throughout rural Wisconsin. Even though he is a very valuable employee with an impeccable work record, his company had made it clear that if he got convicted of the first offense drunk driving charge he was facing, he would lose his job. Company policy. No exceptions. Needless to say, RRE was very concerned. Like so many of our clients, RRE valued his job tremendously, but thought that his drunk driving case was going to be too difficult for any attorney to defend. After all, he was stopped for unreasonable and imprudent speed and lane deviation after the officer followed him for several miles. He also struggled with some of the field sobriety tests (on camera) and had a blood test result of .166. Frankly, he thought his job was doomed. Fortunately, RRE was referred to Dennis Melowski by a former client whom Dennis helped get out of a very similar set of circumstances.

Dennis got to work immediately. The first step was laying the groundwork for several legal challenges through careful questioning of the arresting officer at RRE's administrative suspension hearing. These challenges were ultimately brought to the attention of the judge when Dennis filed motions to throw out evidence in RRE's case. At the hearing before the judge, Dennis relentlessly cross-examined the officer and brought to light several significant discrepancies in his story. Although the judge ultimately ruled against Dennis on the motions, the officer's credibility had been severely undermined. The prosecutor knew the officer was now damaged goods. This fact, combined with several issues Dennis uncovered at the lab that tested RRE's blood sample, led to a fantastic result just a few days before RRE's scheduled jury trial. The drunk driving charges were dropped. Instead, RRE pled no contest to the non-alcohol-related offense of reckless driving. This reduced charge carries no loss of license and will not remain on RRE's record for life like the original charge would have. RRE paid a fine that was half the amount of the original fine, but otherwise suffered no consequences. Most importantly, by avoiding the awful stigma of a drunk driving conviction, RRE kept his job and his career is thriving. He couldn't be happier.

An Extraordinary Rate of Success: The Year in Review So Far

At the halfway point of 2012, a stunning total of nineteen Melowski & Associates clients have avoided the life-altering stigma of a drunk driving conviction. Fourteen of these clients have had their drunk driving charges reduced to non-alcohol-related offenses or offenses that won't even appear on their driver record; three clients have been completely exonerated at trial; and two clients have had their charges completely thrown out by judges. Several others have had their cases resolved in truly remarkable ways (see March 1, April 4 and June 4 blog entries). No other firm in the state can demonstrate results like this in defending DUI cases. When we say that Melowski & Associates has an unmatched record of success, it's not some empty slogan to lure prospective new clients. It's simply the truth.