Terre Haute Public Intoxication Lawyer
Have you recently been charged with public intoxication? A conviction could be quite damaging for you and your family. Work with a qualified Terre Haute public intoxication attorney for assistance in fighting your charges.
You can be charged for public intoxication in Indiana if you were drunk, under the influence of drugs, or visibly intoxicated in a public setting. The purpose of laws surrounding public intoxication is to protect both the individual who is inebriated and the public from harm or injury. While consuming alcohol in public isn’t illegal, being intoxicated is, and law enforcement typically respond accordingly.
In addition to being charged with public intoxication, you could be looking at charges including driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and even breach of the peace. Your Terre Haute public intoxication lawyer at Rowdy G. Williams Law Firm will work diligently to build you a powerful defense so that you can avoid being convicted of these unfavorable public intoxication charges.
Charges You Could Be Facing for Public Intoxication in Indiana
Indiana’s criminal code contains a chapter known as “Offenses Against Public Order.” The public intoxication law in this section states that a public intoxication charge is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail. You can expect to face these charges if your public use of drugs or alcohol results in any of the following actions:
- Harassment of another person
- Endangering someone’s life
- Endangering your own life
- Breaching the peace
A breach of the peace could include fighting, being loud, or otherwise disrupting those in the same public place as you. You will also face public intoxication charges if, when a police officer approaches you, you initiate contact in a negative way or resist being taken in to the police department.
You could also be charged with a Level 6 felony for public intoxication if you were drunk or inebriated in an airport or within 500 feet of a funeral service, memorial, wake, or burial. A Level 6 felony conviction could result in up to two-and-a-half years in prison and fines not to exceed $10,000.
Defensive Strategies That May Work for You
There are a couple of different defense strategies that may be useful in your case. Your attorney could argue that you weren’t actually drunk or disorderly, you were simply loud, overly enthusiastic, or obnoxious. A good example of this could be someone who is at a sporting event and is yelling, cheering, and otherwise being “disorderly.”
Another defense you could use would be that you weren’t actually drunk in public but in a private environment. Some spaces could be argued as either public or private, and it will be up to the police officer to determine what type of area you’re in at the time of your intoxication.
It’s important to note that by law, a law enforcement officer is not allowed to order you to enter a public space and then arrest you for public intoxication.
Speak With a Public Intoxication Lawyer in Terre Haute
If you’ve been arrested for being under the influence in public and you need assistance in fighting your impending conviction, speak with an experienced Terre Haute public intoxication lawyer at Rowdy G. Williams Law Firm. Give our office a call at 1-812-232-7400 or complete the quick contact form below to schedule your initial case review today.
