Archive for the ‘Orange County’ Category

After an individual is arrested for allegedly committing a crime, certain legal proceedings will take place. Although the presence of an attorney is not required, it is in your best interest to obtain the assistance of a knowledgeable criminal attorney who will properly represent you and answer any questions you may have. If you or a loved one has been arrested, don’t take a chance. Contact Orange County criminal lawyer Staycie Sena for to see what she can do for you.

The accused  may be booked by police or cited and released on his own recognizance until his first court appearance. The initial appearance-called the “arraignment”- will be the first proceeding in front of a judge. During this appearance, the judge informs a defendant of certain rights and asks for a plea of guilty or not guilty. When an attorney is involved, the plea is almost always a “not guilty” plea. This allows the attorney time to investigate and negotiate or fight a case.

(more…)

Most people never want to hear the words “you have the right to remain silent.” Rather than concentrating on the notification of an important Constitutional right, most people will immediately recognize that they are being arrested. If you or a loved one are arrested, there are specific issues you need to keep in mind.

If you are taken into custody, you will be searched for weapons or contraband and taken to a police station, where you will be further searched and then fingerprinted. This is not an option. Refusing to cooperate will not reflect well on you later and you could even be subjected to further charges, such as violating California Penal Code section 148(a), resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer in the performance of his duties.

(more…)

If you have been arrested for driving under the influence, you should contact an Orange County DUI or DWI attorney. During your initial interview with a DUI attorney, you will be asked several questions about your arrest and what happened leading up to it. Below are some questions you are likely to be asked, so it might help to have your answers to these questions ready before your interview.

During your arrest, was your car searched by the police, and if so, did they find anything?

(more…)

In an effort to enforce safe driving, several cities within Orange County will be conducing DUI sobriety roving patrols.  The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting these DUI roving patrols today, Friday December 2^nd, within the city limits of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods. The roving patrols are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help reduce the amount of DUIs and DUI related collisions.

Unlike standard DUI sobriety checkpoints, roving DUI patrols are not stationary and therefore cannot be avoided by motorists.   These roving patrol officers look for motorists who exhibit obvious signs of intoxication such as swerving, bloodshot or watery eyes and even the scent of alcohol.

(more…)

A Garden Grove man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after he allegedly caused a DUI-related accident in Irvine shortly before 7pm.

The man was allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into the Orange County Fire Authority’s Eternal Flame Memorial in the city of Irvine. The man, whose name has not been released, damaged a gate, knocked down a light pole, jumped a curb and drove through a small block wall before crashing into the memorial. The driver was taken to the local hospital with a broken foot and was later arrested for an Orange County DUI.

(more…)

This past Halloween weekend was full of scary costumes, lots of candy and many DUI checkpoints and arrests.  The Orange County DUI Task Force, known as “Avoid the 38”, wanted residents to celebrate Halloween safely and therefore had extra DUI saturation patrol officers roaming different cities within Orange County.

While a standard DUI sobriety checkpoint is stationary and often near an area known for frequent DUI arrests or popular bars, a roving DUI saturation patrol is less obvious. These roving drunk driving patrol officers tend to blend into crowds, looking for drivers who show signs of intoxication.

(more…)

A 35-year-old Stanton man has been arrested for driving under the influence after he caused a fatal DUI accident that took the life of a 50-year-old man.

The accident occurred at 5:15am on Saturday morning in the 500 block of Beach Boulevard in Anaheim when the driver of a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, Alexandro Cedillo, failed to notice a pedestrian crossing the road.  Unfortunately, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.  Cedillo stopped and stayed until officers arrived and he was arrested on suspicion driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

(more…)

A 65-year-old Orange County woman has been arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence after she crashed her vehicle into two pedestrians in Laguna Beach. According to the Orange County Register, Sharon Niggemann was driving her SUV, when she failed to see or stop for two pedestrians who were crossing Laguna Canyon Rd near the Festival of Arts/ Pageant of the Masters.

One of the pedestrians, a 65-year-old woman, was taken to OC Mission Hospital with major trauma to her body while Niggemann was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.  It is unclear whether the second pedestrian was also injured.

(more…)

An Orange County man has been sentenced to 20 years and 4 months in prison for a fatal DUI-related accident that he caused last Valentine’s Day.  Gustavo Vega, 24, was driving while under the influence of alcohol on February 14, 2010 when he sped through a red light and crashed into a Toyota Corolla.  The Corolla’s driver sustained minor injuries but unfortunately the passenger, 20-year-old Cara Lee, died at the scene of the accident. According to the Los Angeles Times, Vega fled the scene but was later found by police hiding at a nearby housing complex.

This past Friday, Vega was sentenced at the Orange County Superior Court for murder, felony hit-and-run, driving under the influence and felony possession.  Vega’s blood-alcohol content level during that fatal DUI accident was at .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

(more…)

A former O. C. Newport Beach City Attorney was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after causing a solo DUI-related accident.

At 7:30pm on Friday, 53-year-old David Hunt of Santa Ana was driving in a parking lot five minutes away from his office at the west end of Ford Road near Mesa View when he allegedly hit a parked vehicle.  Once officers arrived at the scene of the accident, they had Hunt perform a DUI field sobriety test before he was arrested.  At around 2:10am, Hunt was released on his own recognizance and officers declined to provide the results of the tests and blood alcohol level.

(more…)

If you have recently been arrested for an Orange County DUI, you understand how frustration, difficult and expensive it is to be charged as a DUI offender. It can be even more traumatizing if you are involved in a DUI-related accident.

Several police departments within Orange County are part of a program that requires drunk drivers who are involved in accidents to pay additional costs. These costs are related to emergency services, salaries of emergency personal, cost of investigations including conducting DUI field sobriety tests as well as the costs related to time spent transporting and booking the alleged DUI suspect.

(more…)

A fatal DUI accident in Riverside County has resulted in an Orange County man being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter.

The accident, which occurred at 3:35am on Saturday morning, took the life of 20-year-old Joseph Castro, from Santa Ana and injured two teenage girls, a 19-year-old from the city of Orange and a 16-year-old from Santa Ana. The driver of the vehicle, 22-year-old Victor Martinez from Santa Ana, was allegedly traveling at high speeds when he crashed into a dirt embankment along the side of the road. Martinez was then arrested and booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of driving under the influence as well as manslaughter.

(more…)

More DUI checkpoints are in store for Orange County drivers. Law enforcement has received a grant from the California Offices of Traffic Safety  to conduct more DUI  and valid driver’s license checkpoints.

Drivers with any amount of alcohol in their systems and unlicensed drivers should beware, as should those not wanting to get stuck in serious traffic jams.

(more…)

In the last several weeks, Orange County has had more than its share of DUI sobriety checkpoints and DUI roving patrols. While most of these DUI checkpoints are announced prior to their commencement, it is not unusual for the location to be undisclosed or for the announcement to arrive literally moments before the checkpoint will be conducted.

During a recent anti-DUI campaign called “Avoid the 38”, officers were on the hunt for motorists who were driving under the influence of alcohol and or drugs and their efforts proved to be fruitful. According to released statistics, over 856 people were arrested for driving under the influence in Orange County during the two week stint that started on August 19^th and ended on Labor Day, September 5^th.

(more…)