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Coolidge, Arizona, is best known as the location of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, the first historic site to receive protected status by the United States Government in 1892 and a national monument since 1918. It is also close to Picacho Peak State Park.

With a population of a little more than 10,000, Coolidge is a small town that many might just pass by on road trips. However, the Coolidge Municipal Court can become an unplanned stop if you drive under the influence within the town limits.

If you are charged with DUI in Coolidge, call the Rosenstein Law Group at 480-248-7666 for a free DUI consultation. Our Coolidge DUI lawyers include certified Arizona DUI specialists who are highly experienced in all aspects of pre-trial plea negotiations and DUI trial defense. 

Call to learn how our criminal defense attorneys can help defend you against DUI charges in Coolidge and Pinal County, Arizona.

What is an Arizona DUI Offense?

You do not need to have a BAC of 0.08% to be presumed to be impaired by alcohol under Arizona law in two situations:

• If you are a commercial driver, you are presumed impaired by alcohol with a BAC level as low as 0.04%.
• If you are under age 21, any BAC level above 0.00% you are presumed to be impaired and is an underage DUI.

What is Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs?

If you are pulled over for suspicion of DUI in Coolidge, the police officer will try to get a breath or blood sample to measure your blood alcohol concentration (BAC). If the sample returns a BAC level of 0.08% or more, then you will be presumed to be under the influence and impaired by alcohol. 

You will also be deemed under the influence if your driving is being affected by a non-alcoholic drug.

Administrative Penalty for Refusing to Give a BAC Sample

Your Arizona driver’s license means that you give your consent to submit to DUI breath, chemical, or blood tests during traffic stops. If you refuse to take a breathalyzer test back at the station or processing facility (aside from the portable breath testing device often administered on-scene, which you do not have to consent to), and/or refuse to submit to a blood test when stopped for an alleged DUI in Coolidge, then you have violated this implied consent.

If this happens, the Arizona Motor Vehicles Division (MVD) will revoke your driving privileges for one year. This license revocation is separate from any sentence that the Coolidge Municipal Court might put on you if you are convicted of DUI. 

Even if you are not convicted of DUI, the Arizona MVD suspension of your driver’s license will still take place. 

What is an Intoxicating Drug?

Drunk driving is not the only way you can be found to be intoxicated. Arizona law lists many kinds of drugs that can lead to a DUI charge against you. Most of them you may be unfamiliar with, but some of the better-known ones under ARS 13-3401 are: 

• Amphetamines
• Methamphetamine
• Fentanyl
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Cannabis (Marijuana)
• Cocaine
• Opium
• Codeine
• Heroin
• Morphine
• Oxycodone
• Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)

A Coolidge prosecuting attorney can also charge you with DUI for being under the influence of a prescription-only medication for a legal drug if you do not have a valid prescription for it or if the prescribed drug impairs your ability to drive. 

What is “Actual Physical Control?”

A police officer can arrest you for DUI even when your car is parked and the engine is not running. 

Although Arizona’s DUI laws do not define what actual “physical control” means, state courts have mentioned examples. The following are some of the factors considered when determining whether or not you were in actual physical control: 

• Whether the vehicle’s engine was running or off
• Where the vehicle’s key was located
• If the vehicle’s engine was running for climate control only
• If the parking brake was on
• If the vehicle was in neutral or park
• If the vehicle’s headlights were on or off
• Where the car was parked
• The individual’s position inside the vehicle
• The individual’s reason for being inside the vehicle
• What the individual was doing in the car at the time the police arrived
• The time of day and weather conditions
• Whether the driver voluntarily pulled off the road

What Kinds of DUIs Does the Coolidge Municipal Court Hear?

The Coolidge Municipal Court can hear a variety of DUI cases brought against you. 

Misdemeanor DUI Charges Based on BAC Levels

DUI Type	Description
Standard DUI	Applies to a BAC of 0.01 to 0.149 or under the influence of an intoxicating substance
Extreme DUI	Applies to a BAC between 0.15 and 0.199
Super Extreme DUI	Applies if your BAC level is more than 0.199
Underage DUI	Applies to any BAC reading greater than 0.00 for individuals under 21 years old

Felony DUI Charges from a DUI Arrest

Aggravated DUIs in Coolidge are felony-level crimes. Examples of aggravated DUI include:

• Driving while impaired while your license is suspended or revoked
• Driving while impaired with a child under the age of 15 in the car
• It’s a third DUI offense within 84-months
• You have an ignition interlock device requirement (from a previous DUI conviction), and you are found in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while impaired and the vehicle you are operating is not equipped with an ignition interlock device
• Driving the wrong way on a roadway while impaired

If you are charged with aggravated DUI or any other felony charge, your case will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Pinal County Superior Court in Florence, Arizona. 

DUI charges have specific considerations unique to each case. For example, it can make a difference if your case is a first-time or subsequent DUI offense, a drug DUI, a medical marijuana DUI, an out-of-state driver DUI, or a boating DUI. 

What Are the Penalties for a Coolidge DUI Conviction?

The penalties for a first-time DUI conviction in Arizona can be severe, even for a misdemeanor offense. These penalties may include:

• Jail time
• Significant fines
• Suspension of your driver’s license
• Requirement to install an ignition interlock device in your car
• Community service
• Probation

Many Coolidge impaired driving cases end with plea deals with lesser charges without going to trial. Hiring an attorney who is thoroughly knowledgeable in Arizona DUI laws, is a skilled negotiator, and can present a strong defense if plea negotiations fail is the best way to ensure you get the best available outcome.

The type of DUI conviction the court imposes on you will decide what penalties the prosecutor can seek against you.

• A standard DUI can result in a minimum of 10 days in jail (9 of which can be suspended upon successful completion of drug and/or alcohol treatment), more than $1,500 in fees and surcharges, a driver’s license suspension, and mandatory ignition interlock device installation. At a minimum, you will spend one day in jail. For a second offense, jail time ranges from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of six months. The base fine also increases.
• An extreme or super extreme DUI is a more severe misdemeanor charge that carries a mandatory jail sentence in addition to the above-mentioned penalties. The minimum jail sentence is 30 days for extreme DUI and 45 days for super extreme DUI, plus fines, fees and surcharges of at least $3,500. You will also be required to attend drug and/or alcohol screening and education.
• The consequences of an aggravated DUI conviction in Pinal County Superior Court can include prison time, substantial fines, the loss of your driving privileges, and probation. This crime may be charged as a Class 4 or a Class 6 felony depending on the circumstances. You can also be sent to an Arizona prison for up to 3.75 years.

Board-Certified DUI Defense Lawyers in Coolidge

A DUI prosecution is a criminal case, but it still takes a criminal DUI defense law firm with specialized experience and training in Arizona DUI laws to give you the best legal advice and trial defense against a DUI charge. 

For example, Arizona DUI cases often rely on the results of breathalyzer samples, field sobriety tests, and the police officer’s personal observations when interacting with you during a traffic stop.

A Board-Certified DUI defense attorney through the National College For DUI Defense (the only accredited organization in the U.S. authorized to award this certification) can identify weaknesses in the evidence against you to strengthen your defense. 

Only four attorneys in Arizona are board-certified to represent clients as legal counsel in DUI cases. Our founding partner at the Rosenstein Law Group, Craig J. Rosenstein, is one of them as is our Managing Attorney, Jonathan Goebel.

Our experienced and trained DUI defense attorneys make sure our clients benefit from the following in-depth DUI case defense strategies:

• Insight and skills of a legal team with decades of experience handling Arizona DUI cases
• Representation for all types of DUI charges, including misdemeanor, extreme DUI, super extreme DUI, and aggravated DUI charges
• Personalized attention and individualized defense strategies based on your unique case facts

How a Quality DUI Defense Lawyer Defends You Against DUI Charges 

An Arizona DUI conviction can be an albatross around your neck long after you complete your sentence. Even a misdemeanor DUI conviction in Coolidge can significantly affect your life. For example, you could have trouble getting a job, qualifying for financing, purchasing a firearm, or buying or renting a home.

With so much on the line for you, it is critical that you hire experienced and reputable DUI legal representation.

If you’ve been arrested for a DUI offense, your Rosenstein Law Group attorney can:

• Guide you through the detainment process
• Accompany you to interrogations and interviews
• Help prevent self-incrimination
• Seek case dismissals
• Prepare a strong DUI trial defense
• Hire expert witnesses to counter the prosecution’s evidence

Common DUI Defenses

A strong defense by an experienced attorney against DUI charges in Coolidge may keep you from being convicted of a crime. If dismissal is not possible, they may be able to help reduce the charges and penalties you face.

Possible DUI defenses our DUI defense lawyers may use on your behalf can include:

• You were not legally intoxicated
• You were not in actual physical control of a vehicle
• Unreliable or inaccurate drug or alcohol testing by the police
• The prosecution lacks enough evidence 
• The prosecution has mishandled the evidence against you
• The Coolidge police traffic stop or arrest was unlawful
• The police violated your constitutional rights
• You were not read your Miranda rights when subjected to questioning while in custody

What to Do (and Avoid Doing) During a DUI Arrest

Knowing what to do the moment you are pulled over for a DUI in Coolidge is key to protecting yourself from serious DUI consequences.

Use the following tips to protect yourself as much as possible during a DUI arrest:

• Listen to your Miranda rights. The law enforcement officer should read you these rights after your arrest prior to questioning. They include the right to remain silent and the right to consult with an attorney.
• Stay calm and exercise your right to remain silent. Do not answer questions the officer asks about whether you have been drinking. Anything you say to police officers can be used against you.
• Do not agree to take field sobriety tests. While submitting is required, they cannot force you to participate, nor does refusing to participate in the field sobriety tests result in any violation of Arizona’s Implied Consent law (which again is what has implications to your driving privileges in Arizona.)
• Do not provide a breath sample in the Portable Breath Testing (PBT) device on the side of the road/while on scene. Submitting to this breath test is NOT required by Arizona’s Implied Consent law. Only failure to provide a breath sample into the Intoxilyzer machine back at the police station or DUI processing facility implicates Arizona’s Implied Consent law.
• If you are placed under arrest, do not resist. This could result in additional charges against you as well as serious physical injuries. You will have the chance to fight the charges later in a court of law.
• Contact an experienced Arizona nationally certified DUI defense attorney as soon as possible. If you are taken to the police station and/or jail, request that you be allowed to use your phone call and contact Rosenstein Law Group immediately at 480-248-7666.

An experienced DUI criminal defense attorney from the Rosenstein Law Group will take immediate steps to defend your legal rights in a DUI matter and help you get through the process of an arraignment hearing in Coolidge Municipal Court. 

Your Rosenstein Law Group Coolidge DUI lawyer will develop the strongest defense strategy to protect you from the consequences of a DUI conviction.

Contact Our Coolidge DUI Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you know has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in Coolidge, Arizona, contact the Rosenstein Law Group law office as soon as possible. Our Coolidge drunk driving attorneys can take over your case and make an aggressive DUI defense of your rights from the very beginning to improve your odds of success.

Call 480-248-7666 or contact us online for a free case evaluation with a Coolidge DUI lawyer today.