{"id":180,"date":"2020-01-22T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=180"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:50:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:50:31","slug":"what-should-you-do-if-you-are-charged-with-public-intoxication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-should-you-do-if-you-are-charged-with-public-intoxication\/","title":{"rendered":"What Should You Do If You Are Charged with Public Intoxication?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"668\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Public-Intoxication.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-181\" style=\"width:250px;height:167px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Public-Intoxication.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Public-Intoxication-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Public-Intoxication-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the state of Maryland, public intoxication\nis a crime charged to people under the influence of drugs or alcohol who have\ncreated a disturbance in public. It is a misdemeanor crime that can lead to a\nfine or even up to 90 days jail time. What should you do if you are charged\nwith public intoxication?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seek Legal Assistance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should be sure to seek legal assistance immediately.\nThis crime has the potential to impact your reputation and introduce a lot of\nuncertainty in life. Also, if convicted in the state of Maryland, the charge\nwill remain on your record for at least three years. Only after that three-year\nperiod are you given the opportunity to have the misdemeanor expunged from your\nrecord. Once you have solicited the help of a lawyer, here are several defense\nstrategies that you can start to discuss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Not intoxicated \u2013 <\/strong>Public intoxication is largely a subjective<br>crime. Arresting officers are only required to confirm that the defendant was<br>behaving in a manner that suggests they were intoxicated. Thus, you can explore<br>the possibility of presenting evidence that proves you were not intoxicated. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Not a significant disturbance<br>\u2013 <\/strong>It is very possible that your behavior did not constitute<br>a criminal violation. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong>You can<br>work with your attorney to gather proof that your actions posed no threat of<br>harm or disturbance to the public. Generally, eyewitnesses can shed a lot of<br>light on the defendant\u2019s true behavior during the time of arrest. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prescription medications \u2013<\/strong> Users of prescribed medications cannot be<br>charged with public intoxication. If you suspect that your arrest may be linked<br>to the use of a prescribed medication, be sure to bring this to your attorney\u2019s<br>attention as it may be very important to the case. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protect Yourself from Public Intoxication Charges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Convictions of any kind can damage your future reputation, financial security, employment or housing opportunities, and rights as a citizen; having strong legal defense can help you in dismissing your charges, exploring your best options, or representing you in court.\u00a0 The Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence offers high-quality legal representation, personal attention, and professionalism to help defend those who need it most.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/contact-us\/\">Click here<\/a> or call (410) 986-0088 to consult with an experienced attorney today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the state of Maryland, public intoxication is a crime charged to people under the influence of drugs or alcohol who have created a disturbance in public. It is a misdemeanor crime that can lead to a fine or even up to 90 days jail time. What should you do if you are charged with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-criminal-defense"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Should You Do If You Are Charged with Public Intoxication?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the state of Maryland, public intoxication is a crime charged to people under the influence of drugs or alcohol who have created a disturbance in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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