On January 23, 2014, the internet and television were ablaze with stories about Justin Bieber’s DUI arrest in south Florida. The 19-year-old was driving a rented Lamborghini when he was pulled over at 4:09 a.m. for drag racing. He performed one or more field sobriety tests, which realistically have little influence on a DUI arrest decision for an underage driver. The odor of alcohol or an admission of drinking is enough. Bieber was also charged with resisting arrest and driving with an expired driver’s license.
Later in the day a police spokesman reported that the singer told officers he had been drinking, smoking marijuana, and taking prescription pills before the traffic stop. The police also claim that Bieber was “belligerent” when police stopped him for driving 55 to 60 in a 30 miles per hour zone in Miami Beach, using several choice words. The arrest report states he dropped the F-bomb several times.
However, when his blood test results became available less than a week later, the crime lab reported he had no drugs in his system, and his blood alcohol level was .014. About 45 of the 50 states, including Florida, have a per se limit of .02 for underage drivers.
Written by Allen Trapp who is board certified by the National College for DUI Defense and the author of Georgia DUI Survival Guide Visit Website
