Articles Posted in DUI

A Marin County couple wanted to avoid getting another DUI over the weekend, so they gave their keys to a 13-year-old boy and asked him to drive them home since they were drunk. After driving for a little while, the boy got scared and stopped the car on the side of the road. Police saw the stalled car and went over to find out what was going on. The woman was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

If you are drunk and you need to get home, get a designated driver to take you home. Even when severely intoxicated, most people should know that people under 16 are not legally allowed to drive. Call a taxi cab or a designated driving service if no one in your party is sober enough (or old enough) to drive you home. Instead of this woman getting a DUI, she now faces child endangerment charges which are much worse.

Whether you live in Villa Park, Lake Forest or Irvine, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Last month, Mel Gibson’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss Gibson’s no contest plea to his 2006 DUI charge. Gibson’s 2006 DUI arrest was memorable because of the anti-Semitic comments made to the police officers that arrested him. Gibson’s sentence for the DUI was three years of probation, fines of over $1,300, 11 months of Alcoholics Anonymous and three months of an alcohol abuse program.

A dismissal motion may be filed by the defendant if all probation conditions are met (California Penal Code section 1203.4). After filing the motion, there will be a hearing where Gibson will plead not guilty. After the plea, the judge can then decide if the charges will be dismissed or not. The judge looks at the fulfillment of probation conditions, the defendant’s progress and his criminal history, among other things, in determining whether to dismiss the charges or not. The hearing will occur sometime this week.

Whether you live in Orange, Newport Beach or Fullerton, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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This weekend in Danville, a 23-year-old man was driving drunk on Interstate 680 around 1 a.m. A tow truck operator was working on a car on the side of the highway, when Kevin Dubrall crashed into the back of the tow truck. Dubrall suffered cuts to his head and arm and the tow truck driver received back injuries, although he was not hit by the car or truck. After being released from the hospital, Dubrall was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence.

A normal DUI without any damages will be a misdemeanor. A felony DUI is received if there were damages or injuries or if the suspect had prior driving under the influence charges. Sentences can vary from no jail time to a couple of years in prison. Regardless if it is a misdemeanor or felony, a DUI comes with fines, license revocations and alcohol classes.

Whether you live in Irvine, Santa Ana or Brea, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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In July of this year, comedian Artie Lange was pulled over while driving in New Jersey. Officers thought he looked intoxicated and tests revealed that he was under the influence of sleeping pills. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. He plead guilty to driving under the influence of a habit producing drug and was fined $664, had his license revoked for a year and has to take an intoxicated driver’s program. Lange’s attorney claims he plead guilty to avoid the media interfering.

A person can be charged with driving under the influence if they are under the influence of a prescription drug. It is irresponsible to be driving under the influence of a drug that is known to cause drowsiness or loss of coordination. If you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Newport Beach Police just received about $200,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety for its DUI enforcement program. This grant was approved last week because of the high rates of DUI’s in Newport Beach. The grant will fund six DUI checkpoints, 110 DUI saturation patrols, and two DUI court sting operations where police wait by Harbor Justice Center and catch people driving with suspended licenses that were revoked because of a DUI.

It is great that Newport Beach will step up its DUI enforcement because alcohol awareness and DUI prevention is important and pivotal in preventing DUI accidents and fatalities. These days, so many people get DUI’s and don’t think they are a big deal. Driving under the influence is a big deal however, because it leads to extensive fines for you, probation, a revoked license and possible jail time. Whether you live in Orange, Costa Mesa or Laguna Woods, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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On Saturday afternoon, around 3 p.m., actress Tawny Kitaen was in a car accident in Newport Beach on Bristol North and Campus Street. Police were called and after suspecting Kitaen of being intoxicated, they arrested her. Police were not clear if she was under the influence of alcohol or prescription drugs at the time of the arrest. She was released soon after being arrested on $2,500 bail.

Kitaen recently appeared on the reality show “Celebrity Rehab.” There, she admitted being addicted to drugs. Her prior criminal past involved domestic violence and drug charges.

Often, if you are addicted to one drug and you try to stop using that drug, you may turn to another one to fill the void. Hopefully, Kitaen has not become an alcoholic and this was a one time event. Whether you live in Laguna Beach, Brea or Orange, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Last week, during early morning hours, a woman heard a loud crash in her neighborhood and called police. Police arrived at 1 a.m. to find a red Ford pick-up truck with no tires that had crashed into a parked van on La Zanga Street in San Juan Capistrano. Josue Sanchez Munoz was arrested for driving under the influence.

Recently, The San Juan Capistrano City Council had discussed the problem of parking in this neighborhood since parked cars were frequently hit by passing cars.

Fortunately for Munoz, he just hit a parked car while no one was in it. To his credit, he did the responsible thing and stuck around instead of trying to flee. Since no one was hurt, it is likely that Munoz will have to pay for the damage he caused to his car and the parked van and be put on probation for three years. Had the parked car been occupied, he would have faced felony DUI charges and jail time. If he is convicted of a future DUI, he will likely go to jail and have to take an 18 month alcohol class. Whether you live in Newport Beach, Anaheim Hills or Brea, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Matthew Cheeks was driving drunk in Costa Mesa around 2:15 on Friday morning. He was on Canyon Drive and Victoria Street when he crashed into a light pole. The power went out in the neighboring area for a few seconds and then came back on. Police arrived at the scene of the crash and had to cut Cheeks out of the car, since the car was completely totaled. He was rushed to the hospital but only had minor injuries. He is likely going to be charged with driving under the influence.

In looking at the pictures of Cheeks’ car after the incident, he is lucky he was not killed. Driving under the influence can lead to serious consequences. Luckily, it was so late at night that not many cars were on the road. Cheeks needs a good DUI defense attorney to assist him. A good attorney would look at his blood alcohol level to see if he was actually intoxicated. Additionally, the attorney would look into road conditions to see if there was another cause for the accident. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Fullerton or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced DUI attorney to assist you.

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Last week, Gerardo Perez of San Diego, was pushing his broken down Toyota off of Interstate 805 in the middle of the night. A 1988 Honda Accord came speeding towards him and hit him and his car. Perez received serious leg injuries and was taken to the hospital immediately. The driver, Charlene June Festa, was taken to the hospital after the collision as well. She was then arrested and taken to jail for felony drunk driving.

Festa will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist her. A good attorney would look at how well the roads are lit and road conditions to determine if there was another cause of the accident. Additionally, the attorney will look into Festa’s blood alcohol level to see if she was in fact intoxicated. Lastly, the attorney would find out the details of the accident scene, including if the car was in the middle of the road or on the side. With these details, a good attorney can prepare adequate defenses to the DUI charge.

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