Are there DUI “Witch Hunts” in Starkville and Oxford?
June 3, 2008
In college towns such as Starkville and Oxford there always seem to be a disproportionally high number of arrests for DUI relative to their population. Of course part of this is due to the large amount of students living in town.
However, this isn’t the only reason for such high numbers of DUI arrests in Starkville and Oxford. The real reason is that these towns find themselves in a “witch hunt” to arrest as many people for DUI as possible. As a former clerk with the District Attorney’s office in Oxford I saw this firsthand.
Many times the police and sheriff’s department are so overzealous that they become a detriment of those living in these communities because of their blatant abuse of authority. What usually happens is that the police will often illegally stop students with no probable cause just to see if they have been drinking. This is illegal, the police must have a valid excuse to pull over anyone. Simple suspicion of DUI is not an excuse.
Police in Starkville and Oxford seem to believe that anytime you drink and drive it is illegal. But this is not the case. The fact is that anyone can drink in drive in any of the 50 states. Millions of people do this each and every day. What you can’t do is drive while being drunk. In Mississippi driving while drunk means having a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. Unfortunately Starkville and Oxford police seem to believe that drinking anything and driving is illegal.
Remember to never drive while being drunk. But if you have been arrested for a DUI make your first call to an experienced DUI Lawyer. A good DUI attorney can often times find issues that will allow them to help have your charged reduced or dropped altogether.
Before you select a DUI Lawyer to represent you make sure that you request our FREE BOOK “How To Choose a DUI Lawyer and The Unauthorized Guide to DUI Defense”. Just request it from our homepage here or call our office at 888-323-1DUI (1384)
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