Under the U.S. Constitution and most state criminal procedure codes, criminal suspects retain specific rights with respect to police informants. Under the Fourth Amendment, probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a crime is being committed is always required before law enforcement is privileged to arrest a private citizen. Orange County…
There are many components to a DUI charge and arrest. Law enforcement officers observe the physical characteristics of any person under suspicion of driving under the influence. Observations are made during the initial traffic stop, the field sobriety test, and the subsequent arrest. If you are facing a recent DUI…
A Costa Mesa woman has been charged with driving under the influence and causing injury after she allegedly hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian, 17-year-old Newport Harbor High School student Crystal Morales, was crossing a crosswalk shortly after 2:45pm when she was struck. The high school student was taken to a…
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy has been accused of driving under the influence after he allegedly caused a DUI-related accident. 38-year-old Richard J. Patterson of West Covina was off duty when he is accused of having crashed the motorcycle that he and his wife were on into another…
Many cities throughout Southern California set up multiple DUI sobriety checkpoints during weekends and holidays. Costa Mesa, however, is choosing to conduct fewer checkpoints in favor or more DUI saturation patrols. By doing so, arresting officers are able to target more drunk drivers on any given night without having to…
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…
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 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…
An Orange County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 28-year-old male to seven years in prison for a fatal DUI related accident that occurred in early July. The accident occurred at 12:50am on July 17th, 2011 when the male driver, Yannis Ismael Galanis, was driving his GMC pickup at high…
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…