Southern Maine Criminal Lawyer Blog

Reasonable Articulable Suspicion vs Probable Cause in Maine

Published on: November 10, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

Maine criminal defense lawyers John Scott Webb and Vincent LoConte have a lot of courtroom experience challenging illegal stops and searches by Maine police. John is an expert on articulable suspicion and probable cause.
John Scott Webb, a Southern Maine Criminal Defense Lawyer in Saco and Portland, Explains

The key differences between reasonable articulable suspicion (RAS) and probable cause (PC) in Maine are:

Reasonable Articulable Suspicion (RAS): If you are cruising down the road in Southern Maine and you commit a traffic violation like running a red light, a Southern Maine police officer has the legal right to briefly stop and detain you. The officer can also pull you over if you are driving recklessly, for example weaving between lanes, or going 20 miles over the posted speed limit. The officer must articulate specific facts that led to their suspicion. Common factors that can establish RAS include the police officer observing traffic violations, erratic driving, or other suspicious behavior.

Traffic Infractions vs Criminal Speeding in Southern Maine

Published on: March 19, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

By: John Webb, Traffic Law attorney near me in southern Maine, like Portland traffic tickets

Some Maine traffic violations can be a serious matter. You may be worried about the amount of the fine for a first offense. Read more about our Legal Team’s legal representation availability in all southern Maine.

Each traffic violation case is a criminal case when criminal speeding is what the law enforcement officer charges the person with. This is especially true if you have a “criminal speeding” charge.

How to Get Out of an OUI in Maine: Webb Law Firm

Published on: March 1, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

John Webb is widely regarded as the best OUI lawyer in Maine. He lives closer to the Saco, Maine office, and he covers a great number of intoxicated driving cases near the New Hampshire border. Attorney Webb also has 2 other criminal defense lawyers near me.
By: Portland Maine OUI Attorney Vincent LoConte, DUI defense lawyer with Webb Law Maine Law Firm, where free legal advice in Maine criminal cases occurs daily from our two law offices in Maine

Maine DUI arrests. Maine OUI laws for drunk driving or drugged driving are very tough criminal charges. Maine sees fewer OUI arrests in winter due to less traffic at night.

Who needs to know this information about a ME OUI? Anyone who operates a motor vehicle (boat, car, truck, motorcycle, jet ski, SUV, 18-wheeler) is subject to Maine OUI laws. Our Maine DUI attorneys take phone calls all night, and on weekends to help those facing DUI offenses.

Maine Statutes OUI: A Review of DUI in Maine Aggravated OUI

Published on: February 22, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

By: Vincent LoConte, Criminal Defense Attorney With Webb Law Maine

Portland ME DUI attorney Vincent LoConte represents local citizens and people who are visiting The Pine Tree State. If you were arrested for operating under the influence you need a good lawyer who can idemtify inconsistencies in police procedures, imc;uding was the traffic stop legal.
Like all other states, many types of driver license suspension statutes exist under Maine Laws. The Pine Tree State sets apart higher punishment and extensions of suspensions or revocations, if the driver caught driving while suspended was doing this in violation of a conviction of an OUI in Maine.

Penalties under Maine Revised Statutes 29A-Section 2412-A are ramped up dramatically for a 2nd DUS (driving under suspension) or 3rd DUS. This article reviews most of the important Maine statutes OUI, for those facing prosecution in Maine.

Crime Class in Maine: Felony & Misdemeanor Criminal Offenses

Published on: February 17, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

The State of Maine updated its laws is a new way to classify crimes. Instead of just misdemeanors and felonies, there are now five different classes of crimes in the Pine Tree State. In most places, criminal offenses are classified as either felonies or misdemeanors. But in Maine, the State uses a different structure of criminal punishment.

Our state’s criminal offenses are divided into five classes: A, B, C, D, and E.

Each class of crime has its own maximum punishment. Class A crimes bring the most severe punishments. For example, A, B, and C crimes are felony offenses, with C class crimes being the least punitive of the felony classification crimes. Crime classes D and E are misdemeanor crimes, with potential jail sentences capped at 364 days. This means there are more options for a wide variety of punishments. It’s important to know which class your charges fall into and what penalties you could face. An example would be an arrest for possession of marijuana which is a serious criminal charge that one of our Saco and Portland criminal lawyers can handle for you. Or you may be facing an operating under the influence of alcohol charge (OUI-Alcohol) even if you blew under a 0.08 on the breathalyzer machine.

Maine Marijuana Laws: Is Cannabis Legal in Maine?

Published on: February 5, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

Maine criminal defense lawyer John Webb explains how marijuana has become legal in Maine but only in certain situations. He covers weed laws in Maine 2024.
Is marijuana legal in Maine? The short answer is yes, but not for everybody, and “quantities are limited.”

The excitement over Maine weed legalization (in LD 1719) a few years ago has left several gaping traps for the unwary in recreational marijuana use. Cannabis possession in Maine is limited, and making an error will result in criminal charges. Maine has legalized recreational use in private, retail sale and taxation of cannabis for citizens over 21. It is one of the weed legal states in America.

Our criminal law firm can provide a marijuana attorney near me in all of the southern counties in Maine, as shown on the map below.

Maine Search and Seizure: Illegal Traffic Stops

Published on: January 11, 2024 | by Webb Law Firm

Maine criminal lawyer John Webb explains what makes a traffic stop legal in Portland and Saco Maine.
By Webb Law Firm, With Law Offices Near Me in Portland Maine and Saco ME

No other nation besides the United States has the Fourth Amendment protections that require a police officer to have information of a crime having been committed before “seizing” a person. When a driver is on the highway, the act of a government law officer seizing that person happens by signaling with emergency lights, using siren or even hand signals, to pull over.

Since the US Supreme Court clarified the issue in 1961, in Mapp v. Ohio, the federal constitutional rule applies to both state and federal officers. Many of the nation’s best criminal cases have been appeals from DUI lawyers near me made after an officer acted on a hunch, and did not have reasonable suspicion.

Maine Marijuana Laws vs Federal Marijuana Law

Published on: December 20, 2023 | by Webb Law Firm

Maine Marijuana lawyer John Webb explains Maine Marijuana laws including possession and distribution. Saco and Portland Maine.

Is Marijuana Legal Under Federal Law?

Marijuana is currently illegal under federal law. Federal law divides each drug into a “schedule” classification according to its properties. Schedule I drugs include almost all illegal drugs, while Schedule V drugs are the least addicting, such as some cough medicines. Schedule I drugs carry the most severe punishments under federal law.

Despite numerous states’ laws permitting marijuana use, the federal government currently classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. In other words, the federal government views marijuana to be a drug with a high potential for abuse and a lack of medical value. Meaning, under federal law, the use of marijuana is illegal for any reason including medicinal.

Are OUI Roadblocks In Maine Legal?

Published on: June 12, 2023 | by Webb Law Firm

By Maine OUI Lawyer John Scott Webb Serving Saco and Portland ME

Maine criminal defense lawyer John Webb explains how marijuana has become legal but only in certain situations.
OUI roadblocks near me are sobriety checkpoints where police officers stop every vehicle—or a certain number of vehicles at random—to search for intoxicated drivers. These DUI roadblocks appear more frequently around holidays, when driving under the influence is more common.

This legal article explores a driver’s right to not pass through these license checks near me. So long as no traffic crime is committed, a citizen can opt to not wait for the line of drivers to be checked, and depart in the opposite direction.

What Happens If I Blow Under .08 on DUI Breath Test?

Published on: June 12, 2023 | by Webb Law Firm

Maine OUI lawyers John Webb, Vincent LoConte, and Nicole Williamson explain what happens if you blow under the legal BAC limit after being pulled over.
In Maine, many think that if your breathalyzer test comes back under .08, then you have passed the DUI test and are free to go. This is not usually the case. This is because the law in Maine states that at the time of operation, a person had a breath or blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more, or were under the influence of intoxicants.

You Can Still Be Charged With DUI and Arrested With a BAC Under .08

To be under the influence in Maine is to have your mental or physical faculties impaired however slightly or to any extent by intoxicants. This means that if you blow a .07 and the officer thinks that you are impaired slightly, you can be charged with an OUI. Not having the .08 breath test to fall back on makes the case much harder to prove for the State, but they can still use the officer’s observations to try to prove that you were impaired while operating. Book a free consultation with a DUI lawyer near me.