You’ve likely heard something about Tiger Woods and his recent drunk driving incident, right?
Wait a minute.
Hopefully, many of our readers across Colorado balked instantly after reading the opening sentence of this blog post, noting quickly that there was just something not quite right about it.
And, indeed, it is amiss. Moreover, its very utterance in a public forum disservices Woods, for one very clear reason.
And that is this: Notwithstanding all the tabloid fodder of last week with acronyms and words like DUI, breathalyzer and blood alcohol content splayed in large-font headlines, a central truth regarding Woods’ recent interaction with police officers is that no alcohol whatsoever was found in the famed golfer’s system.
Too bad that wasn’t what predominated as a major headline.
The Woods’ matter makes an instructive point regarding the topic of drunk driving (and, indeed, other criminal-related subject matter), namely, the public’s often quick rush to judgment before all the material facts have been uncovered and presented.
As we have duly noted in past select blog posts, there are many and broad-based downsides linked with a drunk driving-related arrest and conviction in Colorado and nationally.
Yet there can also be material flak resulting from a stop alone that never does yield a conviction. Unquestionably, a stigma can attach to any driver who is alleged by police to have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even if that allegation is subsequently refuted by testing and/or other evidence.
As it was in the case of Woods, with a breathalyzer indicating a flat zero blood alcohol level of .000 in his system. The golfer attributes his falling asleep behind the wheel and attendant sluggishness to an unexpected reaction to prescription medications taken in the wake of back surgery, and there is no reasonable reason to doubt his claim.
Despite that evidence, notes one national report on the incident, “The Internet has been quick to judge Woods.”
A similar public perception can be cast upon any person, underscoring the need for such individual to promptly contact an experienced DUI defense attorney for aggressive and knowledgeable representation geared toward a best-case outcome.
Facts are important in a DUI matter or any other traffic violation-related case. Proven legal counsel will insist that all allegations be proven beyond a reasonable doubt or dismissed.