NH's Minor in Possession of Alcohol Laws by Mark Stevens 603-893-0074

Of all the non-DWI related blogs and websites I have, this page that deals with unlawful intoxication by minors (which means under 21 years old for the purposes of this statute) and "minor in possession of alcohol" has been generated the most activity. This is due in large part to a series of recent "underage drinking party" arrests made in Salem, Bedford, Derry, Chester, Rye and Nashua.  Did you know that if you are convicted under New Hampshire's "minor in possession" or "underage intoxication" law (RSA 179:10) that you could lose your driver's license for 90 days? Even if you were not driving a car (or even if you were not even IN a car) at the time of the arrest! While that doesn't make much sense, it is what it is, and you should look at your options before marching into Court and getting convicted of this charge. The large number of arrests for this alcohol charge in New Hampshire is surging and the severity of the potential impact upon the drivers license of the person charged with it, have led to a sudden surge in the number of visits to this page. We have had hundreds of unique visitors to this page in the past few weeks since I first posted this page. There have been almost as many visitors to this page than the average DWI pages that I publish over the past few weeks. Because of the great deal of interest in this subject, I am updating this page more frequently and I will most likely post some more information on it.
 

Hand-held PBT gadgets are also used by police in New Hampshire when they are making mass arrests at underage drinking parties.  Recently in New London, New Hampshire police made over 100 arrests at a single party.  55 of those arrests were made because some of the party-goers chose to blow into one of these PBT gadgets and blew a number of .02 or higher.  Hopefully some of those arrested will choose to challenge the alleged results of these gadgets.


Have you been arrested for unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor or underage intoxication in New Hampshire? If you have been, you were probably asked to make a choice about whether you would submit to breath testing, the precursor to an arrest at the roadside or at a houseparty prior to your arrest. The arresting officer will sometimes ask you if you would do the field sobriety tests "so that he can check to see if you are okay to drive". Or sometimes it may have seemed to you like you didn't have much choice at all to decline these "tests". Either way, the officer is likely just gathering evidence against you at that point to use against you in Court later on. Field sobriety tests are a series of exercises designed for the driver to fail.

UPDATE: On November 17, 2009 I will be on RCTV to discuss PBT gadgets and new high school policies regarding mandatory breath testing.

http://www.byebyedwi.blogspot.com


This page is about New Hampshire Law Regarding Minors in Possession of Alcohol, as well as New Hampshire DWI laws and New Hampshire DWI case examples involving driving while intoxicated ("DWI"), Driving Under the Influence ("DUI"), Operating Under the Influence ("OUI"), Aggravated DWI and Boating under the Influence ("BUI") cases by New Hampshire DWI defense lawyer Mark Stevens. If you have been arrested for DWI, DUI, OUI or BWI in New Hampshire, call 603-893-0074 for free initial consultation and case evaluation for your DWI, DUI, OUI or Boating While Intoxicated case:



Mark Stevens

5 Manor Parkway

Salem, NH 03079

603-893-0074

http://www.byebyedwi.com

http://www.byebyedwi.blogspot.com