AREAS WE SERVE
Emerald Isle Criminal Defense Attorney
Defending clients in Emerald Isle and across Carteret County
Who Can Charge You in Emerald Isle
Most charges in Emerald Isle come from the Emerald Isle Police Department, with the Highway Patrol working Highway 58 and the bridge. As elsewhere on the island, the other statewide agencies have jurisdiction but a lighter presence.
The Places in Emerald Isle Where Charges Start
The roundabouts
Emerald Isle has roundabouts, and they catch impaired drivers. A roundabout demands a decision, a judgment of speed and gap, and a continuous steering input all at once — which is exactly what alcohol takes away first. Someone who could hold a lane on a straight road gives themselves away here.
That cuts both ways. What an officer describes as impaired driving at a roundabout can also be an unfamiliar driver, at night, in a town they do not know. These cases are worth looking at closely.
The pier
The pier draws crowds and drinking, and with them occasional fights and underage drinking charges. Assault charges out of the pier area follow the pattern of any crowded place: multiple accounts, most of them partial, many from people who had been drinking themselves.
The bars
Emerald Isle has its own bars, and DWI charges follow people leaving them.
Highway 58 and the bridge
Emerald Isle has its own bridge to the mainland. Between the bridge and the long run of Highway 58 down the island, speeding charges are constant — including against people who have driven the length of the island to get here.
Saint Patrick’s Day
Emerald Isle hosts a Saint Patrick’s Day festival. Like any large event built around drinking, it produces a cluster of charges in a single weekend.
The beach
Patrolled for underage drinking, as along the rest of this coast.
How We Approach an Emerald Isle Case
A DWI stopped at a roundabout. What did the officer actually observe, and from where? Difficulty at a roundabout is consistent with impairment, and it is equally consistent with an unfamiliar driver at night. That distinction is the case.
An assault or alcohol charge near the pier. Crowded, dark, and late. We look hard at who saw what, from where, and how much they had been drinking themselves.
A speeding charge on 58 or the bridge. Depending on your record and the speed, these can often be reduced to a non-moving violation such as improper equipment, so that no speeding conviction goes on your record and your insurance is not affected.
Underage drinking. Young people, no record, consequences out of proportion to the night.
A charge from Saint Patrick’s weekend. One of many that weekend, in circumstances worth examining.
A prayer for judgment. Many charges can potentially be resolved with a prayer for judgment continued, known as a PJC, which can help protect a criminal record or a driving record. It is not available for every charge or in every situation, but it is one of the options we look at from the beginning rather than at the courthouse door.
Your Case Will Be Heard in Beaufort
This is the longest trip to court of anywhere in the county. Charges in Emerald Isle are heard at the courthouse in Beaufort — the length of the island, over the bridge, and on 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. It is worth knowing that in advance, because it is a trip you will want to plan around.
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 Emerald Isle. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation.