Some of our Philadelphia readers may have heard by now about the candidate for the position of mayor of Pittsburgh who was arrested on April 3 on DUI charges. Any Pennsylvania DUI law firm would likely be able to tell our readers that defending against DUI charges is hard enough as it is, but when an arrestee is in the public spotlight every little step may be scrutinized in the media. This can make it harder to proceed, but the media attention may also make it easier to draw attention to controversial aspects of the case.

For instance, in this 36-year-old mayoral candidate’s case, the initial reports indicate that the arrestee refused a blood test. When it comes to sorting through the various ways of getting a reading on a person’s blood alcohol content, Philadelphia DUI blood test attorneys are likely to point out that a blood draw is the most accurate type of test. Breath tests and field sobriety tests can have flaws that a good defense team will point out to either get charges dropped altogether or at least reduce charges. But one key point should be noted: it is always best to cooperate with the police when they attempt to conduct any of these tests. In many states refusing to submit to a blood alcohol content test is grounds for a driver’s license suspension.

Early reports indicate that this DUI arrest may cost the candidate his shot at being elected mayor of Pittsburgh, even though some onlookers already considered him to be a longshot. This is a good example of how simply being arrested for DUI – way before any conviction is even in the picture – could severely damage a person’s reputation and career prospects. Many people in today’s society equate an arrest to a conviction: nothing could be further from the truth.

Source: abc 27 WHTM, “Pittsburgh mayoral underdog arrested for DUI,” April 3, 2013