Los Angeles Criminal Attorney Blog

Drunk-driving charges have been filed against Los Angeles County’s City Administrative Officer, the top budget adviser at Los Angeles City Hall. An LA Times article reports that the suspect was arrested in Covina on March 26, 2010 while driving home from a charity event. According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, the defendant had a blood alcohol of 0.15%, nearly twice the legal limit. He was initially stopped for speeding, but was ultimately arrested after failing a field sobriety test. He is presently scheduled to be arraigned on one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence and driving while having a blood-alcohol level of higher than .08 percent.

In the State of California, a law enforcement officer must have a reason to pull a driver over. In order to arrest you for a California DUI, an officer must have credible or probable cause to do so. "Probable cause" means a sensible belief that criminal activity is or was occurring.

Therefore, in order to stop or arrest you for a California DUI, an officer must have a rational suspicion that criminal activity is or was happening. Probable cause must exist at each stage: the initial stop, the ensuing investigation, and the ultimate arrest. If you retain a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney that can prove that probable cause didn't exist during any one of these stages, your DUI charges could be reduced or dismissed, and certain evidence excluded from trial.

Continue reading " Top LA Budget Official Charged With DUI " »

During a drunk driving checkpoint staged in Fontana, California on the weekend of May 1-2, four motorists were arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An article in The Sun mentions that police have reported that during the 7.5 hour period in which the checkpoint was in place, 1,656 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and 187 vehicles were stopped. In addition to the four DUI arrests, 153 citations were issued for other offenses, ranging from basic traffic violations to outstanding warrants.

An increasingly prevalent law enforcement practice used to detect impaired drivers is the sobriety checkpoint. An experienced San Bernardino DUI defense attorney can determine whether a sobriety checkpoint was lawfully conducted and, in instances where police did not follow proper protocol, challenge the validity of a defendant’s arrest. The U.S. Supreme Court case of Michigan Department of State Police vs. Sitz set forth the basic guidelines that now govern police in the establishment of sobriety checkpoints. If such guidelines are not followed by law enforcement officials, any evidence gathered may be suppressed.

Continue reading " DUI Checkpoint Leads to Four Arrests in Fontana " »

A man who allegedly struck and killed a 16-year-old girl and severely injured another girl has been arrested for DUI hit-and-run. According to a Contra Costa Times report, the arrest stems from an accident that occurred in Compton, California in which two young women were allegedly struck by a Mercury Voyager driven by the suspect at 12:40 am. The driver immediately left the scene but was later apprehended by police. According to the police, the suspect appeared drunk and failed a field sobriety test.

If you are facing a hit-and-run charge accompanied by a DUI charge, it is essential that you retain a competent, experienced Los Angeles DUI attorney. Leaving the scene of an accident can be attributable to acute stress response (ASR), and is recognized as a natural survival mechanism. However, in California, leaving the scene of a car accident is a serious criminal offense with harsh potential penalties. It is important that a judge and/or jury understand the appropriate context surrounding a defendant’s flight from an accident scene.

Cases involving hit-and-run accidents while under the influence of alcohol typically consist of multiple offenses, especially where a fatality is involved. Therefore, it is essential for a person charged with these offenses to seek immediate legal representation from a quailed DUI defense lawyer. At the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, our attorneys are able to immediately evaluate the cause(s) of the accident, the reliability of the BAC testing and reported levels, probable cause for BAC testing and a host of other issues that may arise in a DUI case. Call 1-866-390-7373 for a free consultation. Our attorneys have achieved quality results for our clients charged with DUI hit-and-run, and are available to speak with you today.