When police decide whether or not to arrest someone for a DUI, there may be several steps they take first to determine if an arrest is warranted. One tool police may utilize is a field sobriety test at the scene. A failed sobriety test can lead to arrest, but can also be challenged in court. Recently in Tennessee, a failed sobriety played a role in the arrest of a CEO of a Nashville-based company.
The man was in a vehicle in a parking lot of the County Chamber of Commerce. Other drivers in the area alerted police to a man who was driving in an erratic manner and who hit a concrete island. The man also reportedly almost hit other vehicles.
Police went up to the vehicle and approached the man inside. According to the police, there was a smell of alcohol. The man engaged in a field sobriety test and was said to have failed the test. He was arrested and taken to a detention center and had bond set at $1,500.
Field sobriety tests involve a number of tasks meant to gauge whether the person being tested is intoxicated at all. If police determine the person did not complete the task correctly, he or she can be arrested. A failed sobriety test can be used in court as evidence against someone if a DUI case goes to court. However, anyone arrested in Tennessee based on a failed sobriety should know the results can be seen as subjective and challenged based on any number of reasons.
Source: dnj.com, "CEO of Nashville's Correct Care Solutions charged with DUI", Aldo Amato, June 17, 2015
