Clermont, FL DUI Law Firms & Lawyers

The charge is possession. A breath test is irrelevant because under age is zero tolerance. I would need to se the case file, but sounds like you got caught.

The video in the intox room is intended to prove that the breath test was administered according to the established rules and procedures. For example, was there a 20 minute observation period?, were you offered a breath test?, did you refuse the breath test?. Anything you may have said in the form of admissions could be used against you.  Miranda applies to interrogation, questions such as "have you been drinking?", how many drinks have you had?", etc.  The video in the intox room may have admissible evidence recorded.  A lawyer could file a motion to suppress evidence if you were being questioned and not read your Miranda rights. If all that happened is that you were shooting the breeze with the officer, probably not any interrogation taking place and as such no need to read Miranda, and nothing harmful on the video. The case law says that you don't need to be read Miranda before taking a breath test because it is not interrogation,  and your are not entitled to a lawyer when making the decision to take or refuse the breath test.

Many folks wrongly but reasonably believe that a police officer must immediately inform an arrested person that he or she has the right to remain silent and other rights.  They are referring to "Miranda" rights, or warnings, which in fact must be provided to an individual by a police officer if two conditions exist: First, the individual must be "in custody."  That doesn't necessarily require handcuffing or the actual restraint of one's physical liberty.  A person is "in custody" if, given all of the attendant circumstances, a reasonable person in the given situation would believe that he or she is not free to leave the presence of the officer.  Secondly, the officer must intend to ask questions of the person who is "in custody." Standard procedure by police in DUI investigations is to not provide Miranda warnings until after "non-testimonial" aspects of the investigation have occurred.  Those would include roadside sobriety tasking and breath, blood or urine gathering.  That is because they know that Miranda warnings may cause an arrested person to not cooperate with that part of the investigation. If a person, without Miranda warnings being provided, at any time during any investigation, states to a police officer that he or she wants to consult with a lawyer, or is unwilling to answer any questions, there can be no interrogation.   So, during the investigation when you mentioned your desire to speak to an attorney, you were then invoking your Constitutional rights to an attorney and to silence.