Driving under the Influence of Drugs

Last week in California, Griffin O'Neal, son of actor Ryan O'Neal, and brother of actress Tatum O'Neal, entered a not guilty plea to DUI charges and drug possession and firearm charges. Two months ago, O'Neal was arrested for DUI following an accident in which there was a head on traffic motor vehicle accident that injured another driver. The prosecuting attorney on the case released a statement that said that O'Neal veered into oncoming traffic and struck a car. The driver of the car sustained head and back injuries. Investigating DUI officers took a blood test of O'Neal and the results revealed several drugs in his system including amphetemines, cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax. The car that O'Neal was driving was also searched following the accident and DUI officers found cocaine and loaded firearms. Redmond O'Neal, the half brother of Griffin and son of Ryan and his longtime girlfriend Farrah Fawcett, was arrested that same day on drug possession charges.

After entering the not guilty plea to his DUI and possession charges, O'Neal will likely be placed on a motions calendar in which his DUI defense attorney will have an opportunity to argue a motion to suppress evidence and then a trial calendar. Of course, plea bargaining will be occuring during this time and O'Neal's DUI lawyer and the DUI prosecuting attorney could reach an agreement at any time to resolve the case.

Driving under the influence of drugs is a serious offense in Atlanta, GA. In Georgia, possession of any drug (except for small amounts of marijuana) is considered a felony, so having even small amounts of cocaine would lead to felony charges. The DUI could be aggravated in Georgia due to the face that there was an accident with injuries. If you are facing a DUI charge in Atlanta or Fulton County, call Atlanta DUI lawyer Richard Lawson. DUI attorneys with his office get clients the best possible results. Call today to schedule a free consultation on your Atlanta / Fulton County DUI charges.