After her DUI arrest, the "Leave it to Lamas" star and former winner of the hit reality series "The Bachelor" immediately issued a statement about her DUI arrest. Shayne Lamas stated:
"Early Saturday morning, after consuming one drink, I willingly drove through a mandatory check point on my way home with complete confidence of passing. However, the breathalyzer indicated that I was over the legal limit of blood alcohol content and was arrested onsite."
Shayne Lamas went on to apologize for her DUI arrest, stating "I take full responsibility for my lack of judgment. I have always strived to be a role model for my friends, family and fans and have never nor will ever condone drinking and driving. I apologize for all those I have disappointed, including myself."
While Shayne Lamas was obviously trying to do some damage control and spin her DUI arrest in a way that makes her appear responsible, her statements are not advisable given her pending DUI charges.
Looking at her DUI arrest through the eyes of a Los Angeles DUI lawyer, Shayne Lamas should not have personally made a statement it. Instead, she would have been better served by allowing someone else to make the statement on her behalf, such as a publicist or manager. Why? As a criminal defendant, any statements Shayne Lamas makes about her DUI arrest can and will be used against in court and, as such, can adversely affect her defense to the DUI charges.
For example, Shayne Lamas' statement that she only consumed one drink could negatively impact her case as follows:
- if her statement that she consumed only one drink is inconsistent with what she told the officer(s) during their DUI investigation, this will negatively impact her credibility;
- if her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is high, this would generally be inconsistent with a person consuming one drink which would mean that, absent a showing that the breath machine was not working properly at the time her test was administered, Shayne Lamas was not being truthful about how much she had to drink. Again, her credibility would be in question.
For Shayne Lamas, what's done is done. The "Leave it to Lamas" star has been arrested for a DUI and will most likely be charged with one. As for her statements, there is not much to be done about those at this time. The next step for Shayne Lamas is to hire a qualified Los Angeles DUI lawyer to represent her and contact the California DMV within 10 days to avoid having her license suspended.
Oh yeah, next time take a cab!
Written by Gabriel Dorman
Los Angeles, California
gabedorman@gmail.com
www.criminaldefenseduilawyer.com/blog/
Exclusively for HULIQ.com
Posted November 15th, 2009 by Gabriel Dorman
