Federal DWI & Traffic Defense in Fayetteville, NC
Serving Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Fort Bragg, and all of Cumberland County
Attorney Adam Barrington handles all federal DWI and traffic violation defense matters for Armstrong & Barrington PLLC clients. Any and all DWI and traffic violations occurring on Fort Bragg are handled in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, also known as Federal Court. If you are charged with any offense on the Ft. Bragg Military Reservation, Pope Army Air Field, or any other federal property, your case will initially be scheduled for first appearance at the United States Courthouse at 310 Green Street in Fayetteville.
Federal offenses are handled significantly different than North Carolina state court. While many matters charged on federal property are violations of North Carolina law, such as speeding, traffic offenses and driving while impaired (DWI), a completely different set of rules are used, such as the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Because of this, you want an attorney well versed in these different rulebooks to represent your interests.
Additionally, the way that Federal Court notifies you of your court date is very different from state court. With a state offense, you will receive a court date at the time of citation or arrest. When you receive a federal citation, you will not immediately receive a court date. Rather, you will receive a Notice of Appearance by US Mail at some point in the future after your alleged violation, usually between 3 and 6 months later. This leads to a myriad of problems, such as a defendant moving after offense, lost mail, or any other problem that may occur with the mail system. If you have been charged by the Military Police (MP) on Fort Bragg with a citation or any federal offense, it is wise to hire an attorney to monitor the federal court docket for you in case your Notice of Appearance is lost in the mail.
You should know that no trials are conducted at the US Courthouse in Fayetteville – only pleas and dismissals. If your case must go to trial, the trial will likely be held in either Raleigh or Wilmington. Because of this, trials in federal court are usually more expensive.
Contact Fayetteville Federal DWI Attorney Adam Barrington at (910) 433-2000 to setup an appointment to discuss your federal DWI and traffic defense needs.