During a driving under the influence sentencing hearing, the court may offer to put the defendant on probation. (The defendant does not have to agree to probation; however, it lessens the amount of time spent in jail if any time has to be served at all.) The judge may impose…
DUI discovery is the same as in all other criminal cases. There are reciprocal discovery rules, meaning that both the prosecutor and the defense are entitled to discovery. The defense discovery is mandated by California Penal Code Section 1054.3. Under this code, the defense must disclose, “The names and addresses…
You have been arrested for drunk driving. The big question when facing your arraignment hearing is whether you should just plead guilty. The answer for most DUI defendants is no. At arraignment, the prosecutor usually does not have all the discovery to turn over to the defendant or the defendant’s…
Once arrested for a misdemeanor or felony DUI, your first appearance in court is called the arraignment. At the arraignment hearing, you are informed of the charges against you, given a copy of the complaint, and you are given an opportunity to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.…
If you were arrested in California for drunk driving, and you have an out-of-state driver’s license, you are subject to the same two processes that a California resident with a California driver’s license faces: The administrative process through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the criminal process through the…
The first thing to address is that there are two separate actions pending once you are arrested for drunk driving. One is the administrative portion through the Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV, and the other is the court process. Although these two processes are separate and distinct, some of…
If you are arrested for driving under the influence in San Diego County, your license is usually taken by law enforcement and you are given a temporary driver’s license. The temporary license allows you to continue to drive with the same restrictions, classifications, and endorsements that your original California driver’s…
When a DUI defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty after a trial, the judge may put the defendant on probation as part of the sentence. Probation is “the suspension of the imposition or execution of a sentence and the order of conditional and revocable release in the community under…
San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced their final driving under the influence numbers for the 2011 holiday season. Fourteen San Diego County law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol, CHP, arrested 770 people on suspicion of drunk driving from 12:01 a.m., Friday, December 16th, 2011, through 12:00 a.m., Sunday, January…
A dry reckless is defined under California Vehicle Code Section 23103. It states, “A person who drives a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.” The penalty for a guilty plea or a conviction under this…