IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man arrested for drunk driving is getting out of the charge after using a new smart phone application to get legal help in the middle of the night.
The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that Davenport police violated Craig Hermann’s right to an in-person consultation before forcing him to decide whether to submit to a breath test.
A West Des Moines law firm, Rehkemper & Lindholm, developed the Oh Crap! App to allow users to know their rights during traffic stops and other police encounters.
Attorney Bob Rehkemper says Hermann used the application’s “contact a lawyer” function to reach one of the firm’s associates after he was stopped. He says the ruling is the first documented case in which the app has helped a user avoid conviction.
