Petty theft or shoplifting charges are most people’s first criminal offense. Thus, making their experience and the uncertainty surrounding both their present and future consequences that much more terrifying. In California, any theft of property or currency NOT exceeding $950 is considered petty theft under misdemeanor Penal Code statute 484.…
In California, the crime of Vandalism is defined under California Penal Code 594(a) as maliciously damaging, defacing with graffiti or other inscribed material, or destroying any real or personal property not his or her own. Real property can include vehicles, signs, fixtures, furnishings, or property belonging to any public entity,…
For most of our clients arrested for DUI in California, their arrests represent their first ever contact with the criminal justice system. Given the involvement of both the criminal courts and California DMV in the DUI process, it is no surprise most people charged with first offense drunk driving…
Although all criminal arrests in California procedurally involve the same process from the moment you’re taken into police custody through your first court appearance or arraignment hearing, investigations and arrests for domestic violence charges are conducted somewhat differently. It is critical to remember that you have a constitutional right against…
Criminal defense in California is a complex area of legal practice with numerous misconceptions that are often held as popular belief. The majority of people arrested for their first criminal charge have no experience with the criminal justice system and, therefore, routinely rely on what they’ve seen on television and…
An arrest for soliciting a prostitute can be a frightening and embarrassing experience. For most people charged with solicitation or prostitution under California Penal Code 647(b), the arrest usually represents their first encounter with the criminal justice system. Consequently, most have a multitude of concerns following their release from police…
Alvin Ray Shaw, Jr. of Hawthorne was convicted of 2nd degree murder, felony DUI, and driving on a suspended license by a jury in Long Beach Court on Wednesday a result of a fatal car accident he caused on August 1, 2015. Prosecutors successfully argued Shaw, while intoxicated, drove his…
According to data collected in 2015 by the California Highway Patrol on hit and run collisions throughout LA County, there were almost 30,000 hit and run cases reported. Therefore, it should not be surprising that hit and defense accounts for a very large portion of our criminal defense firm’s…
A man accused of an attempted rape of a 77 year old South Bay woman entered a not guilty plea at Torrance Court on Wednesday. Duncan Aaron Walton is accused of attempting to sexually assault the elderly woman at her Redondo Beach apartment complex before she was able to escape.…
Shoplifting and retail theft account for a significant percentage of property crime in California, and the percentage has steadily increased since the passage of Prop. 47 in 2014. As a result, our West Los Angeles based criminal defense firm has taken on significantly more shoplifting cases than in years past.…