Kevin Churchill vigorously defends against all DUI charges in Arvada and nearby areas of Jefferson County in Colorado. He has over two decades of experience representing clients with DUI and DWAI charges to make sure they don’t get unwarranted convictions and penalties. He examines all the evidence carefully to advise clients in order to obtain the best outcome possible. Having a conviction for drunk driving can have significant negative impacts on your life, beyond just the legal outcomes. People accused of driving under the influence in Arvada are often just everyday individuals, such as delivery drivers and others who rely on driving for their family incomes.
Kevin Churchill has over 24 years of experience representing those accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Colorado. He has extensive knowledge and expertise from representing thousands of clients in Jeffco and neighboring counties. This extensive experience helps him to know what to look for in the evidence, and to identify potential weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
The laws for driving under the influence in Colorado have become more strict. This means that people convicted of DUI in Arvada will have more severe penalties than they would have had before. If charged with DUI in Jefferson County, it is more important than ever before that you have a DUI attorney who is an expert in these laws. There are stiffer mandatory minimum jail sentences and an increased likelihood of losing your driver’s license for DUI convictions. Arvada is predominantly a driving town with limited public transportation options, and destinations are often too spread out to efficiently bike to places. Residents here understand how difficult it would be to get to the grocery store, get the kids to soccer at Stenger, get to Apex to work out, or get yourself to work anywhere in Metro Denver without being able to drive. Additionally, DUI convictions can impact professional licenses held by individuals such as nurses, doctors, or pilots. It is so important that you have an expert DUI lawyer in Jefferson County to help you. Kevin Churchill has handled thousands of DUI and DWAI cases in Jefferson County and the Front Range. If you are facing DUI charges in Arvada, you should call Mr. Churchill for a free consultation.
If you are charged with DUI or DWAI in Arvada, it is crucial to have a defense attorney with expertise in this particular field of law. Skilled DUI lawyers possess knowledge in evidentiary, criminal, and constitutional law. They also must understand the science behind blood alcohol tests, as well as the Arvada Police Department’s DUI arrest procedures. Each individual’s case is unique, but the goal of your attorney is unwavering: to get you the best possible result in your DUI case, whether that is reduced penalties or a complete dismissal, and to minimize the impact of a DUI arrest on your life.
If you are found guilty of a DUI in Arvada, you can lose your driver’s license and have to serve time in jail, even if it is your first offense. While the ultimate goal of your attorney is to help you avoid a conviction for DUI or DWAI, that is not always possible. So, we are also dedicated to helping to minimize the penalties from the Jefferson County courts and the Colorado DMV. An expert DUI attorney like Kevin Chuchill knows the intricacies of the laws in Colorado for driving while intoxicated, so he can help get you the best result in your case.
A DUI attorney must evaluate the case from many angles. The first evaluation is whether there was reasonable suspicion or probable cause to pull you over while driving, or whether the interaction with police was handled correctly. If there was not reasonable suspicion for the traffic stop, most evidence against you can’t be used, so this usually leads to a dismissal of charges. A lawyer with expertise in DUI cases knows the critical components to look for, and can file the appropriate motions, which could eliminate or reduce your charges. Similarly, a skilled DUI defense attorney knows what to challenge in breath tests, blood tests, field sobriety tests, police procedures, and evidence collection.
Penalties
A DUI charge is a misdemeanor or felony offense that could lead to serving significant time in jail. Having experienced representation could make the difference between going to jail or avoiding it. For example, if you are convicted and your blood alcohol content (BAC) is over 0.20 nanograms per milliliter, there is a 10-day mandatory jail sentence. However, a skilled attorney may be able to facilitate you serving that sentence as in-home detention, rather than in the Jefferson County Jail.
Colorado DMV
If you are charged with DUI or DWAI in Arvada, you could lose your driver’s license. You have the right to request a DMV hearing, independent from your court case, but you must complete that request within seven days. That seven-day countdown begins when you are arrested if you did a breath test at the Arvada Police Department Headquarters or refused a test. However if you had a blood test, the seven days begins when your blood test results come back, which can be many weeks.
Experience
A DUI criminal case involves specialized evidence that is unique to these cases. It is important to hire a lawyer with expertise in DUI and DWAI cases, to help you to get the best result possible in your case.
In Colorado, it is estimated that a DUI conviction costs individuals up to $13,000 on average. Those expenses include alcohol treatment expenses, an average doubling of auto insurance premiums, court costs, fines, probation fees, and job loss. With all of that at stake, the cost of hiring an attorney with expertise in DUI cases can be minor in comparison. A skilled DUI attorney can identify problems in the case against you that might not be readily apparent to a non-expert. This can help to minimize the penalties against you, or even avoid a conviction entirely. It is also beneficial to hire a local attorney who handles many cases in Jefferson County Courts specifically, because they are familiar with the judges and opposing attorneys.
Driving Under the Influence cases in Arvada make up about 30% of the DUI arrests in Jefferson County. From 2016 to 2022, there have been an average of 382 DUI arrests in Arvada per year. The annual number of cases has been declining, from 467 in 2016 to 322 in 2022. The most significant dip in numbers was during Covid in 2020, but numbers have not gone back up since then. There are more than twice as many arrests of men for DUI in Arvada (225 in 2022) compared to women (97 in 2022).
Serving in the Arvada, CO Area
The most recent sobriety checkpoints in Arvada were done in 2017. One was close to 64th and Ward near Arvada West High School, where out of 256 vehicles stopped, nine drivers were investigated for DUI, and six were arrested. The other was near 61st and Sheridan, where out of 305 vehicles stopped, nine drivers were investigated for DUI, and five were arrested.
These DUI checkpoints were funded by the State of Colorado, and that funding was cut, so Arvada does not currently do any DUI checkpoints. However, the Arvada Police Department has two full-time DUI officers; their only assigned duty is to patrol for DUI offenders. They work alternate days, so there is a DUI officer on duty every day. Arvada also has five Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) on staff as well. A DRE is a police officer who is specifically trained to recognize impairment from drugs or alcohol.
All table-top breathalyzer tests and blood tests for DUI arrests are done at the Arvada Police Department Headquarters on Ralston Road near Olde Town. The Headquarters has an Intoxilyzer 9000 (I-9000) evidence breathalyzer machine for people who are doing a breath test. For blood tests, you will be brought to Headquarters, and the Arvada Fire Protection District’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel will be called in to give the test. A certified phlebotomist will do the blood draw in the back of an ambulance at the police station.
Headquarters (Near Olde Town)
8101 Ralston Road
Arvada, CO 80001
720-898-6900
Lake Arbor Community Station (NE Arvada, near Wadsworth and 80th)
8110 Vance Drive
Arvada, CO 80003
720-898-6970
West Woods Community Station (West Arvada, near 64th and Indiana)
6644 Kendrick Drive
Arvada, CO 80007
720-898-6980
Whisper Creek Community Station (NW Arvada, near Indiana and 90th, near Candelas and Five Parks)
14360 W 89 Drive
Arvada, CO 80005
720-898-6990
200 Jefferson County Pkwy
Golden, CO 80419
303-271-5444
If you are facing DUI, DWAI or DUID charges in Arvada or anywhere in the Denver metro area, attorney Kevin Churchill has decades of experience representing people just like you. Please call our office for a free consultation, and for answers to many questions about what you should do next.
