Reversed on Appeal! A Wisconsin man charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test under implied consent law was convicted for the refusal. Attorney Tracey A. Wood appealed the case & the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed the conviction. The conviction was reversed. Attorney Wood's appellate client.
Arrests are overwhelming processes regardless of the circumstances, and a drunk driving arrest is no exception. In fact, it is often times much more terrifying and far more unexpected. The majority of people arrested for drunk driving did not know that they were legally intoxicated, and in many cases, they were not. Police rely on devices that are often proven to be faulty, such as Intoximeter's (breathalyzers) that are calibrated incorrectly. In some cases, police stop people without having sufficient probably cause to do so; that is an illegal stop. Police then proceed to search and seize (arrest) the person illegally. Those are just some of the circumstances that occur every day in Wisconsin. In other cases, people are falsely charged, and subsequently wrongly convicted, in which case an appeal must be immediately started.
the good news
If this is your very first drunk driving arrest, the good news is that a first drunk driving offense is not a crime in the state of Wisconsin. If this is your second, third or fourth arrest for drunk driving, the good news is that it is a misdemeanor, rather than a felony. And if you contactAttorney Tracey Wood right away, she may will be better able to help you with your case. While there are no promises or guarantees, it will be comforting to know that you have hired Wisconsin's only Board of Regents member to the National College for DUI Defense (an organization that teaches lawyers how to effectively defend DUI cases), and the lawyer most often referred to as Wisconsin's authority on drunk driving laws and defenses.
the bad news
The bad news is that you must act very quickly regardless of whether you have a prior conviction. If you do not enter a contesting plea, you will be found guilty. If you do nothing to save your driver's license, you will lose driving privileges. If you wait too long before contacting Attorney Wood, time may have eliminated the possibilities that would otherwise be available to you to have the charges dismissed.
possible drunk driving defense
Regardless of the charges, the OWI defense attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood will defend you. Wisconsin drunk driving laws are tough, that is true. But police stops are not without error. Even very seasoned police officers make mistakes during a police stop when they quickly jump to the conclusion that a driver is driving while under the influence of an intoxicant. In a recent appeal won by Attorney Tracey A. Wood, that was exactly the situation her client face; he was convicted under the representation of another lawyer, and turned to Attorney Wood for help in contesting his conviction.
If this is a subsequent OWI charge for you, then it is even more important to speak with an attorney right away. Whether it is arguing against prior convictions or stopping the inclusion of illegal evidence in a trial, an attorney can do nothing for you until the attorney is hired.
Once enlisted, your attorney will immediately file a notice with the court to inform them that you are represented. You can then sit back and take a deep breath, and leave the hard work to lawyers who have been repeatedly praised by clients and the legal community alike for their winning strategies, superior trial records, client devotion and hard work in every case.
Wisconsin Drunk Driving Defense Lawyers
If you have been arrested for drunk driving, please call (608-284-1200 in the
Madison area, or 1-866-262-4599 statewide) the attorneys
at Van Wagner & Wood for a brief but professional free first-impression
analysis of your case. You can also send your case information online, or email the attorneys.
Van Wagner & Wood's office is located at the corner
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Doty Street. Their address is
10 East Doty, suite number 701. You can park on the street (on Martin
Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) And access the office from the doors facing
Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, or you can park under 10 East Doty
and use the elevator inside the lobby. If the parking ramp is full, then
private parking is available across from 10 East Doty and public parking
is available in the public parking ramp at the corner of State Street
and Doty Street.
Will Attorneys Van Wagner & Wood Represent Me?
Regardless of the charges against you, the attorneys at
Van Wagner & Wood will defend you. The areas defined below are for
your convenience in determining if the area where you live is one that
the attorneys frequently appear. You will note that the areas are separated
by geographic location; the attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood tend to
frequently appear in these courts.
Drug Crimes
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys represent
people charged with drug related crimes, in both Federal and state cases. Those
attorneys most frequently represent people charged in the state of Wisconsin.
Federal Drug Charges: Van Wagner & Wood criminal defense
attornes routinely handle drug and other cases charged by a Federal agency.
State Drug Charges: Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense
attorneys routinely handle drug related criminal cases for people residing in
Wisconsin, and most frequently residing in the following areas: Adams County,
WI (Adams, Wisconsin Dells), Ashland County, WI (Ashland), Barron County, WI
(Barron), Bayfield County, WI (Washburn, Bayfield), Buffalo County, WI (Buffalo
City, Mondovi), Burnett County, WI (Siren), Chippewa County, WI (Chippewa Falls),
Clark County, WI (Abbotsford), Columbia County, WI (Columbus, Wisconsin Dells),
Crawford County, WI (Prairie du Chien), Dane County, WI (Belleville, Black Earth,
Blue Mounds, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Dane, Deerfield,
DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Madison, Maple Bluff, Marshall, Mazomanie, Middleton,
Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Rockdale, Shorewood Hills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie,
Verona, Waunakee, Windsor), Dunn County, WI (Menomonie), Eau Claire County,
WI (Abbotsford, Eau Claire), Grant County, WI (Mount Hope, Lancaster, Fennimore),
Green County, WI (Monroe), Iowa County, WI (Mineral Point, Dodgeville), Jackson
County, WI (Black River Falls), Jefferson County, WI (Jefferson), Juneau County,
WI (Mauston), La Crosse County, WI (LaCrosse, Lafayette, Darlington), Marathon
County, WI (Wausau), Monroe County, WI (Sparta), Pepin County, WI (Durand),
Pierce County, WI (River Falls), Polk County, WI (St Croix Falls), Portage County,
WI (Stevens Point), Price County, WI (Park Falls), Richland County, WI (Richland
Center), Rock County, WI (Janesville), Rusk (Ladysmith), St Croix County, WI
(Hudson), Sauk County, WI (Sauk City, Wisconsin Dells), Taylor County, WI (Medford),
Trempealeau County, WI (Whitehall), Waushara County, WI (Columa, Wautoma), Washburn County, WI (Spooner), and Wood
County, WI (Wisconsin Dells).
Drunk Driving (OWI, DUI, DWI)
Van Wagner & Wood's attorneys frequently represent people charged with every type of drunk driving offense in the state of Wisconsin - from OWI - 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th misdemeanor offense to 5th and higher felony offenses. The successful criminal & drunk driving defense firm also represents people against vehicular homicide while intoxicated charges, as well as operating after suspension or revocation. Attorney Tracey A. Wood is highly regarded as Wisconsin's foremost authority on drunk driving laws & defense. Attorney Christopher T. Van Wagner has been three-times honored with the Martin Hanson Advocates Prize for numerous homicide acquittals.
Van Wagner & Wood's attorneys represent people across the state of Wisconsin, and have appeared in nearly every court, the most frequent of which include: Madison, Wisconsin Dells, Baraboo, Monroe, Darlington, Jefferson, Waukesha, Portage, Montello, Friendship, Mauston, Lancaster, Prairie du Chien, Wautoma, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Wausau, Black River Falls, Viroqua, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Janesville, Wisconsin.
Federal Crimes
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense attorneys handle Federal
cases throughout the state of Wisconsin and Federal appeals cases throughout
the nation. The attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood have handled Federal cases
for more than twenty years, cases and appeals ranging from Federal conspiracy,
drug charges of possession, intent to deliver, sell, distribute controlled substance,
securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, domestic terrorism, Internet crimes
money laundering, to kidnapping.
The criminal defense attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood represent
people charged with Felony Murder, Homicide, Negligent Homicide, Reckless Homicide,
Vehicular Homicide, Reckless Endangerment, First-degree Intentional Homicide,
and Second-degree Intentional Homicide. Those attorneys most frequently represent
people accused or charged in the state of Wisconsin. Often times, they are called
upon by a client residing outside of the state of Wisconsin, which they represent
in very serious crimes such as Felony Murder or Homicide. Van Wagner & Wood 's attorneys have handled cases for clients in Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, California, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Van Wagner & Wood's criminal law defense lawyers frequently appear in Wisconsin Circuit Courts in Madison, Wisconsin for Dane County; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin for Chippewa County Circuit Court; Menomonie, Wisconsin for Dunn County Circuit Court; Eau Claire, Wisconsin for Eau Claire Circuit Court; Lancaster, Wisconsin for Grant County Circuit Court; Monroe, Wisconsin for Green County Circuit Court; Mauston, Wisconsin for Juneau County Circuit Court; La Crosse, Wisconsin for LaCrosse County Circuit Court; Wausau, Wisconsin for Marathon County Circuit Court; Sparta, Wisconsin for Monroe County Circuit Court; Stevens Point, Wisconsin for Portage County Circuit Court; Janesville, Wisconsin at Rock County Circuit Court; Baraboo, Wisconsin at Sauk County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Dells at Columbia County Circuit Court; Wisconsin Rapids at Wood County Circuit Court; Waukesha, Wisconsin at Waukesha County Circuit Court; Elkhorn, Wisconsin at Walworth County Circuit Court. They also appear at Oneida Circuit Court in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Langlade Circuit Court at Antigo, Wisconsin.
If your case is in another area of Wisconsin, please contact an attorney at Van Wagner & Wood to discuss it.
