Tag: right to counsel

Iowa Supreme Court Severely Limits Rights of People Under Arrest for OWI

The Iowa Supreme Court took an unfortunate significant step backwards as it relates to the rights of individuals arrested, but not yet formally charged with Operating While Intoxicated, in Iowa.  In State v. Sewell, a case argued by GRL Law, Justice Mansfield, delivered the opinion of the court which held a person arrested for Operating While Intoxicated, who has been asked to submit to a breath test, but has not yet been formally charged with the offense, does NOT have the right to a privileged phone call with an attorney. Justice Appel issued a stern dissent, arguing that the request […]

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OWI Amended to Public Intoxication Preserves CDL

Another result of our relentless pretrial discovery efforts is now on display in Jasper County.  After painstakingly reviewing every word of the implied consent video, we discovered that our client asked for an attorney.  The officer did not honor this request, but instead requested a breath sample for testing on the DataMaster DMT.  Our client refused. Iowa law provides a limited right to consult with a lawyer while being detained by police.   The prosecutor amended the OWI because the breath test refusal would not be admissible due to the violation. The result?  A simple misdemeanor.  No jail.  A fine of […]

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GRL Wins DOT and Saves CDL

Iowa provides a limited statutory right to speak with a family member or attorney before submitting to breath testing.  Most of the time, the driver must first trigger the right by asking for a phone call. In this case, our client told the officer he had an out-of-state CDL.  He asked whether implied consent would affect his commercial driver’s license.  When the officer said that he couldn’t answer that question, our client replied that he would wait for the lawyer to arrive. The officer immediately requested a breath specimen.  Our client refused. GRL Law recently appealed the one year revocation […]

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Breath Test Suppressed After Officer Fails to Explain Rights

Iowa provides a limited statutory right to speak with a family member or attorney before submitting to breath testing under Iowa Code section 804.20.  Most of the time, the driver must first trigger the right by asking for a phone call while in custody. In this case, the officer instead volunteered the opportunity to make “a call” after invoking implied consent.  Thinking this was his one and only call, our client wisely requested an explanation.  The officer repeated his offer.  And then added the call could be placed either before or after chemical testing. Here’s where the officer erred. Section […]

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GRL Saves CDL After Officer Unreasonably Limits Phone Calls

When your CDL is at risk for failing a breath test, you need the expertise of the impaired driving defense attorneys at GRL Law. Merely three weeks after suppressing a breath test to save a commercial driver’s license, the firm’s efforts have rescued another CDL holder, this time through the DOT appeal process. The administrative law judge found that the arresting officer provided our client only 14 minutes to place phone calls prior to chemical testing.  When the last call attempt went to voice mail at the stroke of the deadline, the officer exclaimed “Times Up!” and took his phone […]

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