Yeppers,

I pretty much agree with everyone else's comments here. DUI is one of my pet peeves because I have seen first hand how innocent people can have their lives destroyed and it always seems like the defendant suffers little or no injury. Furthermore, the defendant always blames the victim, i.e., "He ran the light." I know this didn't happen in your case but crossing the line could have led to a head-on collision. As a mother, how would you feel if you killed someone else's child? How would you feel if a drunk driver killed *your* child? Personally, I would want to kill that driver and I am not even a mother. OK. I'll stop preaching.

As a court employee in a mid Atlantic state, I can tell you this: You are probably screwed. In my state, a DUI conviction that is a 3rd in 10 requires mandatory jail time. As Kimbuka posted - "What were you thinking?" Whoops. I'm preaching again. You need to find an excellent attorney. It was OK for the police officer to search your car. The PC was there due to your erratic driving. Everything you told the officer was documented. In my state, they record (audio and visual) DUI traffic stops and field sobriety tests. As far as the seizure of your van, the law varies from state to state. In my state they would have impounded the van on the spot.

Sorry I can't give you more support on this one. I hope you will be able to get the help you need.

2much