Medical condition blamed for DUI charge

It may be easy for many in Cary to rush to judgment against one who has been accused of a crime. This is particularly true in cases involving allegations of drunk driving, as a common assumption regarding those who do so is that their actions represent a wanton disregard for the safety of others. Yet even though criminal accusations do tend to stir up emotions in people, it is important to remember that those arrested for allegedly violating the law are presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise. Oftentimes, the actual facts of a case will end up defying people’s assumptions. 

Perhaps no case serves as a better example of this than that of a local man arrested on suspicion of DUI. Despite his protestations of not having had anything to drink, both police and doctors refused to believe him after his blood-alcohol content was measured at well over the legal limit. Yet it ultimately turned out that the man was telling the truth. He actually suffers from a rare medical condition called auto-brewery syndrome, which causes yeast in the gastrointestinal tract to actually convert the carbohydrates derived from the food that he eats into alcohol, which resulted in bouts of involuntary inebriation. The charges against him were ultimately dropped, and he continues to maintain his condition through dietary restrictions and medication. 

While many may assume that examples such as this are the exception rather than the norm, they still serve to underscore the point that guilt should not be automatically assigned to any criminal accusation. One needing help to ensure that this right is respected may find it in the form of an experienced criminal defense attorney.