Following a West Palm Beach DUI an individual’s car will be towed to a local tow yard if the person is arrested and charged. In certain circumstances if the vehicle is able to be legally parked in a place that is secure or if someone is able to come onto the scene of the arrest and take custody of the car with the arrested person’s permission, law enforcement will release the car to a third party as long as that third party is not impaired and otherwise eligible to drive. Most of the time, however, these cars are towed and held in an impound facility at a local tow yard for the person to pick up the vehicle at a cost of at least several hundred dollars upon the person’s release from jail. Payment is usually accepted in cash only and you must show the registration to prove that you are the owner of the vehicle that you wish to retrieve. If you want to know more about the process of retrieving your car, get in touch with a qualified DUI lawyer who can help.
Retrieving a Car
What happens to a car following a West Palm Beach DUI, is that a person’s car is typically towed, which means that once they are released from jail they have to retrieve their car.When retrieving their car, a person should bring sufficient funds to pay for the towing and storage of the vehicle and they also need to bring proof of ownership and registration that is in the car and some form of ID if they have it. The person needs the funds, proof that he or she owns the car, and identification that it is he or she that owns the car.
The person is going to have to pay the fees, the person has to pay the tow yard for towing the vehicle and for storing the vehicle, and they will get an inventory of what they found in the vehicle, and then they will get their vehicle released by the tow yard.
An attorney does not play an instrumental role in car retrieval. Sometimes, a person can help locate the car and give the client instructions on where the car is, and what they need to bring with them to get the car released. Most of the time, law enforcement will tell the arrested person where their car is going to be and the person will go get it upon release or make arrangements themselves.
There are occasions when clients do not remember, or they were not told, or just have no idea where their car is. Obviously, an attorney will make efforts on the person’s behalf to locate their car and advise them on the necessary documents and funds that they will need to have their car back to them and in their custody.
Car Searches
Any car that is subject to be towed after an arrest is subject to an inventory search by law enforcement. That is well-settled law under the US and Florida Constitution and Florida law. It is called search incident to arrest. If the police or law enforcement are taking control of the person’s car by ordering it to be towed, they must inventory that car so they know what is in the car as far as the person’s property goes so that it can be accounted for and the person knows what was in the car when it was taken to make sure that those same items are still in the car when the person retrieves it. Under every circumstance, if the person is arrested for a DUI, their car will be searched or it should be searched if law enforcement is doing their job.
How Can What is Inside the Car Impact One’s Case?
The DUI case will be affected by illegal substances inside the car in a couple of different ways. If one of those illegal substances could cause impairment, it may be used as evidence that the person is under the influence or impaired. The other way that the DUI case can be affected if illegal substances are found in the car is that there can be additional charges.
What a Lawyer Can Do
An attorney can help you locate your car, help you find out which lot has your car, exactly how much money is owed, what forms of payment are needed or required in order to pay the balance that is owed, and what documents you should bring with you in order to prove that the car belongs to you. They can do everything to determine what they would need to do to get the car except go get the car itself. An attorney cannot do that, that has to be done by the client. A dedicated lawyer will do anything they need to do, to help you locate your car, and meet your requirements to get it released back to your custody so you can use it. If you have been charged with a DUI and are wondering what happens to a car following a West Palm Beach DUI, get in contact with a skilled attorney who can guide you through the process of retrieving your car.
