Articles Posted in DUI

Police in Irvine have arrested a senior Orange County Sheriff’s official for driving under the influence after he reportedly caused a car accident, based on a Los Angeles Times report. Irvine Police arrested the official after the vehicle she was driving crashed into the back of another car stopped at a red light on Jamboree Road.

She was driving an unmarked Orange County Sheriff’s Department vehicle at the time of the Orange County DUI crash, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office. The officer was charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of alcohol. Officials say the woman had slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes and had trouble keeping her balance during a field sobriety test. She apparently had a blood alcohol level of 0.14 percent, nearly twice the legal limit. Fortunately, the driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.

It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher in California. Not only does a DUI charge impose fines and sometimes jail time on a person, it can have drastic effects on an individual’s reputation, personal life and professional career. In this DUI accident, Guidice was transferred from her post as head of Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol to a position at the county’s Theo Lacy Jail. If convicted of the DUI charges in Orange County, she faces a maximum of six months in jail.
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California Highway Patrol officials have arrested a man for driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of an explosive device on a public highway in Ventura County. According to a news report in the Camarillo Acorn, CHP officials arrested James Thomas Jacquez, 41, whom they stopped as he was traveling north on the 101 Freeway in Camarillo near Del Norte Boulevard. Jacquez was initially arrested for DUI in Ventura County, but officials later checked his vehicle and found an object under the driver’s seat, which they say, is an explosive device. The Ventura County Bomb Squad determined that the device was a homemade bomb and took it away for safe disposal.

Ventura County drunk driving charges can be misdemeanors or felonies depending on the nature of the circumstances and whether anyone other than the drunk driver was injured or killed as a result of the DUI accident. If there was no accident and the driver was stopped because of erratic driving or other suspicions, the driver could face a misdemeanor DUI. However, in this case, the driver was also charged with possession of an explosive device, which is a serious allegation.
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A 49-year-old Ventura man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after he drifted to opposing lanes of traffic, sideswiped a tow truck, and seriously injured the truck driver. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, Jeffrey Barnes was driving on Ventura Boulevard near Sherwin Avenue in Ventura when his vehicle went across traffic lanes and hit the truck from Double R Towing. The tow truck driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment of severe back injuries. Barnes also suffered injuries but was later arrested and booked into county jail for felony DUI, California Vehicle Code section 23153 (a).

Drunk driving charges can be misdemeanors or felonies depending on the nature of the incident and the severity of injuries to the other parties. A felony drunk driving conviction can result in lengthy jail or prison time, stiff penalties, loss of driving privileges, probation, alcohol and drug counseling or community service. The costs associated with a DUI in Ventura County are also staggering – fines, attorneys fees, insurance rate hikes and so on.
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A woman suspected of driving under the influence slammed into the side of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol car in Compton, according to this CBS News report. The female motorist was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles and the female sheriff’s deputy was taken to the hospital for examination and treatment of injuries. The alleged DUI car accident occurred near the 91 Freeway when the woman driving south on Alameda Street crossed onto the wrong side of the road and struck the driver’s door on the patrol car. Two other vehicles were also involved, but no one else was injured or arrested, the news report stated.

Under California law, it is illegal for anyone to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a) states: “It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle.” Another section of the Vehicle Code also states that “it is unlawful for any person who has 0.08 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle.”

The consequences of a Southern California DUI arrest are quite significant. The severity of the charges would depend on a defendant’s level of intoxication, the extent of injuries involved (to those other than the drunk driver), and the defendant’s prior criminal record or DUI record. And a more serious charge of driving under the influence and causing bodily injury can result in significant jail time and a one year driver license suspension.
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Los Angeles police arrested “Point Break” actress Lori Petty for drunk driving after she struck and injured a skateboarder, according to a Fox News report. The 45-year-old actress was arrested in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. Police say the skateboarder, who was not identified, was treated for injuries at the scene.

It is illegal for drivers 21 years of age or older to drive a motor vehicle or operate any recreational vessel, aquaplane or boat, under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Consequences of a Los Angeles DUI arrest include jail time, formal/informal probation, alcohol or drug rehab, loss or suspension of your driver’s license, significant fines, vehicle impoundment and significant auto insurance rate hikes or even insurance policy cancelation. Whether a DUI involves a celebrity or an average person, the consequences are devastating.
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An Orange County woman, who had been accused of hit-and-run in connection with a January DUI auto accident in Orange County in Trabuco Canyon pleaded guilty to driving under the influence with injury. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Kristen Wilcox has been sentenced to 20 days in jail, three years probation, $390 in fines and three months on the first offender alcohol program. The accident occurred January 26, 2009 when the 23-year-old Wilcox crashed into a light pole on Live Oak Canyon Road.

The incident left almost 400 people without power for several hours and left Wilcox’s 17-year-old passenger with minor injuries. Wilcox left the crashed vehicle and injured passenger, but was arrested two hours later in the area by California Highway Patrol officials. Officers determined that Wilcox had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Two charges against Wilcox were dismissed – hit-and-run with injury or death and driving under the influence with blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more causing injury or death.

If you are a first-time DUI offender and your accident did not involve major injuries or death, there is a good chance that the court will consider alternative sentencing in your DUI case. Examples of alternative sentencing in DUI cases include alcohol or drug rehabilitation programs, drug court, alcohol counseling, community service and so on. A skilled Orange County DUI defense attorney will help keep you out of jail and get you the help and support you need. If you have been charged with a DUI in Los Angeles, Orange or Ventura counties, please call Sitkoff & Hanrahan at 866-299-4111 to find out more information about your legal rights and options.

A La Puente woman was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in California and hit-and-run after she allegedly collided with a Covina police cruiser. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 29-year-old Sandra Faviola Guerra was arrested a mile away from where the crash occurred. Guerra and her female passenger did not suffer significant injuries.

California Highway Patrol officials say the Covina police car was going south on Barranca Avenue approaching Cypress Street with a green light when Guerra was making a right turn on a red light from Cypress to Barranca. The police vehicle was disabled as a result of the crash and the officer could not pursue Guerra. But other officers did and apprehended her a few blocks away. CHP officials are also looking into whether the officer was speeding. The length of skid marks is an indicator of the speed of a vehicle involved in a collision. This is the type of evidence analysis our law firm has extensive experience in evaluating.

In California, it is a crime to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. Leaving the scene of an accident is a violation of Section 20001 of the California Vehicle Code which states: “The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to any person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident.”

A teenager and a 38-year-old woman were injured after the 18-year-old driver crashed a Porsche near a freeway onramp in Costa Mesa. Police arrested Dominick Anthony McCoy, 18, on suspicion of DUI in California, according to a news report in The Orange County Register. The injured woman was identified as Dorothy Dunlap. Police say the teen was driving at a high rate of speed south on Bear Street near Paularino Avenue when he crashed the car. The Porsche struck an electrical box, went through a freeway sign and came to rest about 20 feet later on the onramp from Bear to the northbound 73 Freeway.

In California, it is illegal for drivers under 21 years of age to drive a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.01 percent or more. The penalties of underage DUI can be severe and could include fines, loss/suspension of driver’s license, jail time and participation in an alcohol education or community service program. If the California DUI accident involves injuries or fatalities to passengers (occupants of the vehicle other than the defendant), the penalties could be even more severe.

If you or a loved one has been charged with driving under the influence in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please contact Sitkoff & Hanrahan for a free consultation. In any DUI case, the stakes are high and the consequences can be devastating. Not seeking the advice of experienced Los Angeles drunk driving defense lawyers can be a costly mistake. Please call us today at 866-299-4111 to find out more information about how we can help you fight your DUI and build a strong defense in your case.