AREAS WE SERVE
Pine Knoll Shores Criminal Defense Attorney
Defending clients in Pine Knoll Shores and across Carteret County
Who Can Charge You in Pine Knoll Shores
Pine Knoll Shores has its own police department, and the Pine Knoll Shores Police Department handles most charges here. The Highway Patrol works Highway 58. Every statewide agency has jurisdiction, though you will see them less often than on the mainland.
Why So Many Charges Here Involve People Passing Through
Pine Knoll Shores sits between Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, and Highway 58 runs the length of the island through the middle of it. That single fact explains most of what we defend here.
Speed enforcement on Highway 58
People travel the length of the island — from Atlantic Beach down to Emerald Isle and back — and Pine Knoll Shores is in the middle of that run. The speed limit is enforced here, and enforced closely. Drivers who have settled into island driving find the limit through Pine Knoll Shores is not what they assumed.
A great many of the speeding charges we defend from this town are against people who were not going anywhere in Pine Knoll Shores at all. They were driving from one end of the island to the other.
DWI in transit
The same pattern produces DWI charges. People are stopped in Pine Knoll Shores traveling between Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, after drinking at one end and heading for the other. The stop happens here because this is the middle.
The beach
The beaches along this coast are patrolled for underage drinking, and Pine Knoll Shores is no exception.
How We Approach a Pine Knoll Shores Case
A speeding charge on Highway 58. Your driving record and the alleged speed drive what is possible. In many cases the charge can be reduced to a non-moving violation such as improper equipment, which avoids the insurance consequences that follow a speeding conviction. Those consequences outlast the fine by years, which is why how the charge is handled matters more than what it costs today.
A DWI stopped in transit. The reason for the stop comes first. Then the timing: where you had been drinking, how long the drive was, and what the officer observed before the blue lights came on. A stop in the middle of a long island drive raises different questions than one made outside a bar.
Underage drinking on the beach. A charge that follows a young person far longer than the night warranted.
A prayer for judgment. Many charges can potentially be resolved with a prayer for judgment continued — a PJC — which can protect a driving record or a criminal record. It is not available for every charge or in every situation, but it is one of the first things we consider, particularly on traffic charges where the long-term cost is the record rather than the fine.
Your Case Will Be Heard in Beaufort
Charges in Pine Knoll Shores are heard at the courthouse in Beaufort — back up the island, over the bridge, and through Morehead City. Your court date will not be the day you were charged; in most cases it is a month or more out, unless it is a first appearance on a felony.
The full court calendar is set out on our Carteret County criminal defense page.
Your Defense Starts With One Call
When your freedom, reputation, and future are on the line, facing the legal system alone is not an option. At Tetterton Law Firm PLLC, we are your partner in Pine Knoll Shores. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation.