Most people in Virginia are responsible when it comes to not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They understand that drunk driving is a crime, and therefore avoid doing it. They may ride with a designated driver, hail a taxi or simply stay where they are if possible while they sober up. This…

In a recent post, we discussed the requirement that Virginia police have reasonable suspicion of a violation before they pull a driver over to check for intoxication. As we noted in that post, however, sobriety checkpoints are a major exception to this rule. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that random DUI checkpoints did…

A resident of Fairfax, Virginia never wants to be facing a drug charge in either state or federal court or even see a son, daughter or other family member having to go through such an ordeal. All drug charges should be taken seriously, since they all carry with them the possibility of jail or prison,…

Under the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Terry v. Ohio, a Virginia police officer can generally stop an individual for questioning, or pull a vehicle over, only if the officer has a reasonable suspicion a crime may have been committed. This means that with the notable exception of random DWI/DUI checkpoints, an officer cannot stop…

With the approach of the warm weather months in Virginia, many people will choose to spend time on the water and partake in boating. Part of enjoying days out in this manner might include the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There is nothing wrong with that unless the operator of the boat decides to drink as…