Driving Under the Influence or DUI is considered a serious offense in California and the Prosecution pursues the penalties and punishments seriously. Orange County specifically is extremely strict when it comes to prosecuting those charged with this offense. Recent statistics have shown that there are approximately 13,000 DUI arrests per…
As the summer approaches, students head home from college and that California fun in the sun state of mind sets in, Orange County law enforcement agencies are gearing up for one of the busiest DUI seasons. In an effort to crackdown on impaired drivers, the Santa Ana Police Department will…
Up until last week, the law allowed police officers to forcibly draw blood from any person suspected of driving under the influence, if that person refused to voluntarily submit to a chemical test of their blood, breath or urine. The U.S. Supreme Court has now determined that “forced blood draw”…
Do prior convictions for DUIs in other states qualify as priors in California? The answer is yes, but, according to California law, it must be a “qualifying offense”, meaning that the prior must have the same elements as a conviction for DUI in California. What this means is that in…
If you have been arrested for driving under the influence in Orange County, there are two separate proceedings that are triggered by the arrest. One is the court proceeding and the other is the Department of Motor Vehicles suspension hearing. These proceedings and hearings are independent of each other and…
When someone has been arrested for driving under the influence, the arresting agency submits a report to the Orange County District Attorney for their review and ultimate filing of charges. It may seem pretty straight forward in that someone has been pulled over, given a test and then determined to…
In California, if you are charged with driving under the influence, whether it is alcohol or drug related, the prosecution could add to the charges what is known as sentence enhancements. These enhancements can substantially increase the severity of the punishments imposed by the Court. Here are some of the…
Now that the 2012 “Winter Holiday Anti-DUI Crackdown” has ended, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has posted the results. In keeping with the “Avoid the 38” DUI Campaign, 38 Orange County law enforcement agencies conducted sobriety checkpoints, special saturation patrols and routine patrols for the Winter Holiday period December 14,…
A 27 year old Santa Ana man was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit and run and driving on a suspended license, in connection with the hit and run death of a 75 year old man last week. The charges have yet to be filed but due to…
A drunk driver caused a three-car accident on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim after crashing into the center divider. When the woman driver attempted to flee the scene, she put her vehicle in reverse and in doing so crashed into another car, which then was hit by yet another vehicle.…