A judge dismissed the drunk driving  case brought against Seattle Seahawk Spencer Ware.  The second-year fullback was arrested in the early morning hours this January while driving in the Seattle Belltown area, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The judge dismissed the case against Ware based on a procedural error by the Washington State Patrol trooper who made the arrest. The judge determined that the state trooper did not have reasonable suspicion that Ware was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when he made the traffic stop. Generally, an arresting officer will need to have some reasonable basis to support a DUI stop such as the suspect's erratic driving, speeding, or other signs of impairment. However, in this case, the judge found that there were no circumstances to warrant a DUI stop in the first place. All the evidence obtained after the stop of Ware was suppressed and not considered in court. Some of the evidence that was suppressed include the results of a blood-alcohol content test. As a result, the judge did not believe there was enough evidence to support pursuing the charges brought against Ware.

The rationale for throwing out potentially incriminating evidence in a drunk driving case where there is no reasonable suspicion to make a stop is to ensure that law enforcement officers respect individuals' constitutional rights. Without these protections, the police may hypothetically randomly search individuals and cars in the hopes of finding some (any) evidence to charge someone with a crime.

Contact a Seattle DUI Attorney

If you have been arrested for drunk driving and believe that your constitutional rights have been violated, you will want to work with an experienced attorney. To discuss the specifics of your case and to learn potential defenses, contact an attorney at Wolff Criminal Defense by calling 425-284-2000.