FEDERAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY CASE RESULT
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA IN ALEXANDRIA:
DUI Drunk Driving charge in the Pentagon area, with a BAC level of .14 (32 CFR 234.17), a Second Offense within 5 Years, was REDUCED and sentenced as a First Offense with no jail time. Prior offense was less than two years ago in Fairfax Virginia. All related charges were DISMISSED: Possession of Marijuana under 21 USC 844, DWI under 32 CFR 234.19, and related traffic offenses.
Read more about DUI Law: Virginia DUI Laws, Penalties and Defenses Explained by DWI Attorney for Alexandria, Fairfax, Arlington.
Read more about Federal Marijuana Law here: Federal Penalties & Defense for Simple Possession of Marijuana and Other Drugs.
Click to Review All DUI / DWI Case Results Click to review all Drug / Marijuana case results.
32 CFR 234.17 – Vehicles and traffic safety.
(a) In general. Unless specifically addressed by regulations in this part, traffic and the use of vehicles within the Pentagon Reservation are governed by State law. Violating a provision of State law is prohibited.
(b) Open container of an alcoholic beverage. (1) Each person within a vehicle is responsible for complying with the provisions of this section that pertain to carrying an open container. The operator of a vehicle is the person responsible for complying with the provisions of this section that pertain to the storage of an open container.
(2) Carrying or storing a bottle, can, or other receptacle containing an alcoholic beverage that is open or has been opened, or whose seal is broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed, within a vehicle on the Pentagon Reservation is prohibited.
(3) This section does not apply to:
(i) An open container stored in the trunk of a vehicle or, if a vehicle is not equipped with a trunk, an open container stored in some other portion of the vehicle designed for the storage of luggage and not normally occupied by or readily accessible to the operator or passengers; or
(ii) An open container stored in the living quarters of a motor home or camper.
(4) For the purpose of paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section, a utility compartment or glove compartment is deemed to be readily accessible to the operator and passengers of a vehicle.
(c) Operating under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances. (1) Operating or being in actual physical control of a vehicle is prohibited while:
(i) Under the influence of alcohol, a drug or drugs, a controlled substance or controlled substances, or any combination thereof, to a degree that renders the operator incapable of safe operation; or
(ii) The alcohol concentration in the operator’s blood or breath is 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood or 0.08 grams or more of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Provided, however, that if State law that applies to operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol establishes more restrictive limits of alcohol concentration in the operator’s blood or breath, those limits supersede the limits specified in this paragraph.
(2) The provisions of paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall also apply to an operator who is or has been legally entitled to use alcohol or another drug.
(3) Tests.
(i) At the request or direction of an authorized person who has probable cause to believe that an operator of a vehicle within the Pentagon Reservation has violated a provision of paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the operator shall submit to one or more tests of the blood, breath, saliva, or urine for the purpose of determining blood alcohol, drug, and controlled substance content.
(ii) Refusal by an operator to submit to a test is prohibited and may result in detention and citation by an authorized person. Proof of refusal may be admissible in any related judicial proceeding.
(iii) Any test or tests for the presence of alcohol, drugs, and controlled substances shall be determined by and administered at the direction of an authorized person.
(iv) Any test shall be conducted by using accepted scientific methods and equipment of proven accuracy and reliability operated by personnel certified in its use.
(4) Presumptive levels.
(i) The results of chemical or other quantitative tests are intended to supplement the elements of probable cause used as the basis for the arrest of an operator charged with a violation of this section. If the alcohol concentration in the operator’s blood or breath at the time of the testing is less than the alcohol concentration specified in paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section, this fact does not give rise to any presumption that the operator is or is not under the influence of alcohol.
(ii) The provisions of paragraphs (c)(3) and (c)(4)(i) of this section are not intended to limit the introduction of any other competent evidence bearing upon the question of whether the operator, at the time of the alleged violation, was under the influence of alcohol, a drug or drugs, or a controlled substance or controlled substances, or any combination thereof.
32 CFR 234.19 – Penalties and effect on other laws.
(a) Whoever shall be found guilty of willfully violating any rule or regulation enumerated in this part is subject to the penalties imposed by Federal law for the commission of a Class B misdemeanor offense.
(b) Whoever violates any rule or regulation enumerated in this part is liable to the United States for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000.
(c) Nothing in this part shall be construed to abrogate any other Federal laws.
Section 844. Penalty for Simple Possession
(a) Unlawful acts; penalties
It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess a controlled substance unless such substance was obtained directly, or pursuant to a valid prescription or order, from a practitioner, while acting in the course of his professional practice, or except as otherwise authorized by this subchapter or subchapter II of this chapter. It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly or intentionally to possess any list I chemical obtained pursuant to or under authority of a registration issued to that person under section 823 of this title or section 958 of this title if that registration has been revoked or suspended, if that registration has expired, or if the registrant has ceased to do business in the manner contemplated by his registration. It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly or intentionally purchase at retail during a 30 day period more than 9 grams of ephedrine base, pseudoephedrine base, or phenylpropanolamine base in a scheduled listed chemical product, except that, of such 9 grams, not more than 7.5 grams may be imported by means of shipping through any private or commercial carrier or the Postal Service. Any person who violates this subsection may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than 1 year, and shall be fined a minimum of $1,000, or both, except that if he commits such offense after a prior conviction under this subchapter or subchapter II of this chapter, or a prior conviction for any drug, narcotic, or chemical offense chargeable under the law of any State, has become final, he shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for not less than 15 days but not more than 2 years, and shall be fined a minimum of $2,500, except, further, that if he commits such offense after two or more prior convictions under this subchapter or subchapter II of this chapter, or two or more prior convictions for any drug, narcotic, or chemical offense chargeable under the law of any State, or a combination of two or more such offenses have become final, he shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment for not less than 90 days but not more than 3 years, and shall be fined a minimum of $5,000. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a person convicted under this subsection for the possession of a mixture or substance which contains cocaine base shall be imprisoned not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years, and fined a minimum of $1,000, if the conviction is a first conviction under this subsection and the amount of the mixture or substance exceeds 5 grams, if the conviction is after a prior conviction for the possession of such a mixture or substance under this subsection becomes final and the amount of the mixture or substance exceeds 3 grams, or if the conviction is after 2 or more prior convictions for the possession of such a mixture or substance under this subsection become final and the amount of the mixture or substance exceeds 1 gram. Notwithstanding any penalty provided in this subsection, any person convicted under this subsection for the possession of flunitrazepam shall be imprisoned for not more than 3 years, shall be fined as otherwise provided in this section, or both. The imposition or execution of a minimum sentence required to be imposed under this subsection shall not be suspended or deferred. Further, upon conviction, a person who violates this subsection shall be fined the reasonable costs of the investigation and prosecution of the offense, including the costs of prosecution of an offense as defined in sections 1918 and 1920 of title 28, except that this sentence shall not apply and a fine under this section need not be imposed if the court determines under the provision of title 18 that the defendant lacks the ability to pay.
(c) “Drug, narcotic, or chemical offense” defined
As used in this section, the term “drug, narcotic, or chemical offense” means any offense which proscribes the possession, distribution, manufacture, cultivation, sale, transfer, or the attempt or conspiracy to possess, distribute, manufacture, cultivate, sell or transfer any substance the possession of which is prohibited under this subchapter.
