By: Portland Maine OUI Attorney Vincent LoConte, DUI defense lawyer with Webb Law Maine Law Firm, where free legal advice in Maine criminal cases occurs daily from our two law offices in Maine Maine DUI arrests. Maine OUI laws for drunk driving or drugged driving are very tough criminal charges. Maine sees fewer OUI arrests in winter due to less traffic at night. Who needs to know this information about a ME OUI? Anyone who operates a motor vehicle (boat, car, truck, motorcycle, jet ski, SUV, 18-wheeler) is subject to Maine OUI laws. Our Maine DUI attorneys take phone calls all night, and on ..read more

By: Nicole S. Williamson, Criminal Defense Attorney With Webb Law Maine  In this aticle, the abbreviations “D.U.I.” and O.U.I.” are used interchangeably. The reason for that is DUI is the most widely used acronym for the crime of drunk driving, but the Maine Legislature named our driving under the influence law “operating” under the influence, which is the OUI meaning. The DUI meaning is “driving under the influence.”  The OUI legal consequences can be increased by certain behavior or circumstances associated with this specific arrest, which can cause an aggravated OUI Maine. Far to ..read more

Is Marijuana Legal Under Federal Law? Marijuana is currently illegal under federal law. Federal law divides each drug into a “schedule” classification according to its properties. Schedule I drugs include almost all illegal drugs, while Schedule V drugs are the least addicting, such as some cough medicines. Schedule I drugs carry the most severe punishments under federal law. Despite numerous states’ laws permitting marijuana use, the federal government currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. In other words, the federal government views marijuana to be a drug with ..read more

By: Vincent LoConte, Criminal Defense Attorney With Webb Law Maine   Like all other states, many types of driver license suspension statutes exist under Maine Laws. The Pine Tree State sets apart higher punishment and extensions of suspensions or revocations, if the driver caught driving while suspended was doing this in violation of a conviction of an OUI in Maine.   Penalties under Maine Revised Statutes 29A-Section 2412-A are ramped up dramatically for a 2nd DUS (driving under suspension) or 3rd DUS. This article reviews most of the important Maine statutes OUI, for tho ..read more

The State of Maine updated its laws is a new way to classify crimes. Instead of just misdemeanors and felonies, there are now five different classes of crimes in the Pine Tree State. In most places, criminal offenses are classified as either felonies or misdemeanors. But in Maine, the State uses a different structure of criminal punishment. Our state’s criminal offenses are divided into five classes: A, B, C, D, and E. Each class of crime has its own maximum punishment. Class A crimes bring the most severe punishments. For example, A, B, and C crimes are felony offenses, with C class crimes be ..read more

In Maine, many think that if your breathalyzer test comes back under .08, then you have passed the DUI test and are free to go. This is not usually the case. This is because the law in Maine states that at the time of operation, a person had a breath or blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more or, were under the influence of intoxicants. You Can Still Be Charged With DUI and Arrested With a BAC Under .08 To be under the influence in Maine is to have your mental or physical faculties impaired however slightly or to any extent by intoxicants. This means that if you blow a .07 and the officer ..read more

As a Maine DUI lawyer near me I talk to people every month who were arrested for OUI in Southern Maine. An alarming number of those people are truly surprised at their blood-alcohol concentration (BAC). Many tell me they “paced themselves” to one drink per hour. For most people this pace is a recipe for disaster. A Brief History of Alcohol Calculations Scientists have studied alcohol for many years. In the early years of the 20th century a Swedish physician, Dr. Widmark, did extensive research. Based on his research he devised a formula for calculating blood-alcohol levels based on the amount ..read more

For years DUI lawyers near me and breath testing experts claimed that breath test machines (like the Intoxilyzer 5000) read other substances on your breath as alcohol and thus gave a false high reading. These substances are called “interferents.” Examples of interferents are paint fumes, carburetor cleaner, and substances found in many beauty salon supplies. For just as many years the the corporation that made the machines (CMI, Inc.) and the Maine’s breath test staff claimed that was just a Portland ME defense lawyer’s gimmick. They said the machines were specific for alcohol, would rel ..read more

As summer officially begins, many young adults will find themselves home for the summer or preparing to leave for college for the first time. Of course, college is a place where freedom abounds and, often, this new-found freedom results in an urge to party. This naturally leads some kids to be tempted to purchase alcohol, in order to liven up their nightlife. While for the older collegiate this may be perfectly acceptable, trouble arises when underage students use all too prevalent and easily computer-generated fake IDs. Maine Fake ID and Underage Possession Penalties Although most that do so ..read more

Since July of 2004, more than 75,000 ignition interlock devices or car breathalyzers have been installed in vehicles. These were installed as a result of the Transportation Restoration Act, passed in 1998. Under Maine statute 29-A §2508 a person convicted of a second or subsequent OUI offense may petition for early license reinstatement if they agree to install an approved ignition interlock device in their vehicle and have satisfied all other conditions for license reinstatement as required by the Secretary of State. An ignition interlock IID is a sophisticated system that tests for alcohol ..read more