In the District Court in Hyattsville, Maryland, DUI attorney Jonathan Oates and his client were facing a difficult DUI case. The client, who was a fellow attorney, could have faced dire consequences to her job if found guilty.
The decision between accepting a lesser plea offer to DUI and going to trial is often a difficult one. In this case, the client followed Oates’ recommendation to reject any plea offers and challenge the evidence at trial.
At trial, Oates’ cross-examination of the arresting officer ultimately swayed the judge to find his client not guilty. Oates’ questions highlighted major parts of the DUI investigation that were missing and done incorrectly and forced the officer to admit that there were important facts about the DUI that he simply could not remember. Shining a spotlight on these major problems in the case, the judge ultimately agreed with Oates that the State had not proven his client guilty and entered an acquittal on all charges.
The charges in the case are currently being expunged, meaning they are cleared from any public record.