Client was arrested for DUI after being stopped for having a headlight out, which can be a perfectly legal reason for the police to stop a vehicle. Bryan obtained the dash cam video and reviewed it – something many lawyers never do. During this review, he realized that, although the client’s truck had a burned-out bulb, it also had auto-running lights. The state law on headlights allows that as long as two lights are burning, the vehicle is in compliance.
From this review and his knowledge of the law, Bryan raised the issue with the ADA, and also sent a photo of the client’s headlight configuration. Bryan’s proactive legal challenge to the case, his credibility with the DA’s office, and his willingness to comb through the evidence, meant that a fast dismissal of the case was granted by the ADA. The ADA agreed that the officer had unlawfully stopped the client, invalidating any evidence uncovered during the stop, and thus the issue of whether the client was under the influence never had to be challenged.
