Steelers' Hines Ward gets DUI dropped, pleads guilty to reckless driving

Pittsburgh Steelers' Hines Ward appeared in Georgia court to plead to charges of alleged DUI stemming from an arrest in July 2011.

Ward pleaded guilty to reckless driving and had the charges of DUI dropped. In a statement Hines’ attorney and manager said, “By dropping the DUI charge, it is clear the prosecution did not have enough sufficient evidence to proceed.”

Hines was stopped in July 9, 2010 when a Dekalb County Officer saw Hines’s car leave a lane and hit a curb, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police reported that Hines failed a field sobriety test.  Hines refused to take a breathalyzer and was arrested. This did not provide the prosecutors with enough evidence to charge him with DUI.

Some DUI attorneys recommend that a person refuse to take a breathalyzer. In some instances, breathalyzers have been shown to be incorrectly calibrated. There are some states where you must forfeit your driver’s license for a year of you refuse to take a breathalyzer.

Under the reckless driving charge Hines will have to serve 80 hours of community service, 12 months’ probation and participate in an alcohol evaluation program. Hines has no previous DUI arrests on his record.

A DUI charge has a severely negative affect on a person’s life, but an accomplished DUI attorney can help reduce the charges or diminish the associated fines penalties.  A DUI lawyer can ask for leniency and help the offender avoid jail and possibly maintain their driving privileges.