DUI Defense
A first DUI in Collierville does not stay in Collierville. That surprises most people, and it is the single most useful thing to understand in the first week.
Where your case is actually going
Collierville Municipal Court handles municipal and traffic matters. DUI is a state criminal charge, so a DUI arrest by Collierville PD is booked into Shelby County and set in General Sessions Criminal Court at 201 Poplar in Memphis. If you were also cited for something municipal in the same stop, you can end up with dates in two courts. Confirm both.
The clock you may not know is running
If you refused the breath or blood test, there is an implied-consent issue that runs separately from the criminal case and carries its own license consequence. It is easy to lose that one by default while focusing on the criminal charge. Raise it with a lawyer immediately.
Do not plead at the first setting
A first DUI in Tennessee is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a mandatory minimum of 48 hours in jail, seven days if the BAC was .20 or higher, a $350 minimum fine, a one-year license revocation, and alcohol safety school. And a DUI conviction cannot be expunged, ever. There is no diversion for DUI. That combination is why the first setting is the wrong place to resolve anything without counsel.
What we look at
- The stop. Was there reasonable suspicion? Poplar Avenue and the Bill Morris corridor generate a large share of Collierville stops, and the stated reason is not always what the video shows.
- Field sobriety testing. The standardized battery has specific administration requirements. Officers depart from them more often than people assume, and body-worn and in-car video is where that shows up.
- Breath or blood. Instrument maintenance, observation period, and for blood, the draw and chain of custody. Blood results in Shelby County can take months, and that lag is often useful.
Veterans Treatment Court
If you served, Shelby County’s Veterans Treatment Court accepts DUI cases, and successful completion can end in dismissal and expungement — one of the very few paths that clears a DUI charge. It is worth asking about at the outset, not after a plea. See veterans defense.
This week
- Write down everything you remember about the stop while it is fresh.
- Find your bond paperwork and confirm the date and division.
- Do not discuss the arrest on social media or with anyone but your lawyer.
- Call before your first court date, not the morning of it.
More: Memphis DUI defense · first DUI in Memphis · Collierville criminal defense. Office (901) 324-5000 · criminal line 901-412-2973.