Articles Posted in DUI

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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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In California, driving with a blood alcohol level above a .08% is against the law. Most people do not know when they get to the .08% level, though. This article put forth guidelines to gauge what your approximate blood alcohol level is at at any given point. Of course, these factors vary depending on a person’s weight, if they are sick, taking medications, or drinking on an empty stomach.

Using the example of a person that weighs between 150 and 170 pounds, if a person drinks two drinks within an hour, they are likely between a .01% and a .04%. If they drink three drinks within an hour, they are likely at a .05% to a .07%. If they drink more than that, they are well over .08%. In this example, a drink is defined as a 1 1/2 ounce shot of liquor, a 5 ounce glass of wine or a 12 ounce glass of beer. To see other examples, click here.

The safest bet is to not drink and drive because even if you have less than a .08% blood alcohol level, you may still be pulled over for reckless driving or you may still cause an accident. Whether you live in Foothill Ranch, Yorba Linda or Lake Forest, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Howard Lee, a 20-year-old from Newport Beach, was in an accident this weekend, while under the influence. Allegedly, he was speeding while under the influence of alcohol, when he got into a car accident and his SUV flipped over and trapped him in it. Paramedics were called to East Coast Highway and Bayside Drive in Newport Beach, where they worked to get him out of the car. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and taken to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries.


Driving under the influence is a serious charge. Driving under the influence when you are not yet 21 is an even more serious charge. Under California law, a person under 21 can get a DUI even if their blood alcohol level is at a .01%. Also, people under 21 are not allowed to refuse a blood alcohol test and have to give consent. Consequences of getting a DUI before you are 21 include fines, jail time, license suspension and probation.

Whether you live in Fullerton, Newport Beach or Mission Viejo, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced defense attorney to assist you.

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Danny Boissiere was arrested this week for a hit-and-run, a DUI and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was driving in a Ford Explorer that was stolen from Pacifica. A man called officers because Boissiere appeared to be intoxicated. Officers tried to stop the car but Boissiere accelerated to 90 miles per hour. The driver then made an abrupt turn and crashed into a near-by Jeep Wrangler. Inside the Wrangler was Mr. and Mrs. McCurdy and their 2-year-old son. The Jeep flipped over and all the passengers were injured. Boissiere kept driving until he collided into a fence. He jumped out of the car and tried to run from officers but he was immediately apprehended.

Driving a stolen vehicle, driving under the influence and a hit-and-run are all serious crimes that will come with a long prison term. Boissiere will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist him in fighting these charges. A good attorney would read the lab results to see if Boissiere was actually intoxicated. He would also look at road conditions to see if there was another possible cause for the accident.

Whether you live in Foothill Ranch, Stanton or Corona Del Mar, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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A Bakersfield program called “Life Interrupted Mobile Exhibit” won the Program of the Year award from The California Crime Prevention Officer’s Association this past week. The program is aimed at showing children the dangers of drinking and driving. The presentation consists of a DUI crash trailer exhibit which shows an actual car that was involved in a DUI accident and a video that tries to relay the emotions behind a DUI crash. The Life Interrupted program is taken to junior high and high schools in Bakersfield to lower the high rate of DUI fatalities. Since the programs start in 2002 to 2007, teenage fatalities went from 12 in 2002 to 1 in 2007.

Programs like this are a great way to teach kids the dangers of drinking and driving. Lecturing students is one thing, but actually showing them a car that was involved in a drunk driving accident and showing a video on the family’s reaction and the emotional toll it takes on them, is something else. Once students feel the pain of the families and see the damage, they will definitely think twice before drinking and driving. I think the next step that this program should take is to take the exhibit to college campuses. In college, the students are actually old enough to drink and the program may be even more effective at that point. Nevertheless, the program is a great way to deter driving under the influence and reduce DUI fatalities.

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

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The Automobile Club of Southern California has teamed up with County of Orange Health Care Agency Alcohol and Drug Prevention Team (ADEPT) and announced the launch of the Orange County DUI Prevention Task Force. The goal of this task force will be to address DUI issues in Orange County and do what they can to prevent them. Sub committees plan on addressing issues in law enforcement, public policy, marketing and community education. Although this is the first year in 10 years that DUI’s have decreased, the task force feels that there needs to be more DUI prevention to prevent future DUI fatalities.

I think it is great that there are more DUI prevention programs emerging everyday. DUI arrests among women are on the rise, so the DUI prevention program will also target women to explain the effects of drinking and driving. I think an important factor that the program must stress is that, besides staying on your record and possibly requiring you to spend time in jail, DUI’s can cost around $10,000 each because of attorney’s fees, court fees and restitution. If the legal consequences won’t scare people, maybe the financial consequences will.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Huntington Beach or Brea, if you are charged with a DUI, you will need an experienced Orange County DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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