Montgomery County DUI Charges: What To Expect in Court

Below, a Montgomery County DUI lawyer discusses what those accused of driving under the influence can expect from the court system in Montgomery County, Maryland. If you have been charged and would like to learn more about your case call and schedule a free consultation with our firm today.

Where Are DUI Cases Typically Heard in Montgomery County?

There are two district courts locations in Montgomery County. One is the new courthouse that was just built in Rockville. There, parking can be a little bit of a hassle because there’s no actual attached parking to the court, although there are parking garages as well as public parking lots all around the courthouse. It’s a very nice brand new building and DUI cases are frequently heard there.

There’s also the older building in Silver Spring on Second Avenue. Again, there’s no parking there, although there is a parking garage that almost always has spots right next to the courthouse. Those are the two district court locations in Montgomery County. There’s also a circuit court which is located a block away from the District court in Rockville.

What Should I Expect From the Montgomery County Court System?

They should expect that the officers who arrested them would have to be present if they’d submitted a breath test. They would expect that breath technician should have to be present if they’re demanded. They should expect that any evidence would have to comply with the Maryland rules of evidence in a case against them. This means that hearsay isn’t admissible and that the state has to lay proper foundation for any kind of admissible evidence. They should expect that the case will be prosecuted vigorously as well. The Montgomery County state attorney’s office will not dismiss DUI cases if there’s any chance at all that they may be able to win it. Finally, they should expect that the case would be heard fairly by one of the judges in Montgomery County.

How Do Montgomery County Judges View DUI Cases?

Judges in Montgomery County take DUIs very seriously. Montgomery County is one of the wealthiest in Maryland. Because of that, there’s a lot less violent crime in Montgomery County than there is in some of the other jurisdictions in Maryland. What that means for a district court is that judges are much more likely to take a DUI case very seriously because they don’t have as much violent crime taking up their attention. They treat DUIs as one of the more serious offenses that they encounter in district court.