Articles Posted in DUI

This month, in Temecula, an officer was trying to manage traffic near a two-car collision on Pala Temecula Road. Nicholas Gabbard approached the accident site in his vehicle, without slowing down. The officer attempted to get out of the way but Gabbard hit him in the ankles and drove off. Gabbard then turned around and approached the scene again, this time hitting an ambulance and fire truck. Officers arrested him for felony DUI, felony hit and run and driving on a suspended license. The injured officer was taken to the hospital and was later released.

Driving drunk and hitting a person is a serious offense, especially when the person you hit is an officer. If you ever hit a person or a car, make sure to stop and get out of your car. Exchange insurance information if you hit a car. If you hit a person, make sure they are alright and call the police. Leaving the scene of the crime shows that you wanted to get away from the crime instead of face responsibility. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Irvine or Yorba Linda, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you. Possible defenses to a DUI charge include: improper field sobriety tests, machine failure for blood alcohol testing, road conditions and medical conditions.

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With all of the Angels games taking place in Anaheim this week, Anaheim has been in full party mode. Most fans love to tailgate before the game, drink during the game, party after the game, and then drive home. Of course, this leads to many driving under the influence charges for the fans. Because of this, Anaheim Police have decided to step up patrolling the area since they recently received an anti-DUI grant from the state to pay for saturation police and DUI checkpoints. Police are constantly reminding Angels fans about the ill fate of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and his two friends who were killed by a suspected drunk driver earlier this year. Police want to remind the fans to drink responsibly and avoid the roads if you have been drinking.

It is so unfortunate that Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver and could not see how far the Angels got in the playoffs. It is a harsh reality that drunk drivers are out on the streets everyday and are killing and hurting themselves and others. Police remind drivers to report drunk drivers since it is an emergency that requires police assistance right away. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Brea or Laguna Niguel, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away.

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This weekend, after partying at a cast-mate’s birthday party, the “Hills” reality star Stephanie Pratt was arrested for a DUI. Officers issued field sobriety tests and breathalyzer test results stated Pratt had a blood alcohol level of .08% and a .09%, which put her at and above the legal limit. She was arrested and taken to jail and then released on $5,000 bail. As she was getting arrested, people in the streets saw her and started taking pictures, which led to a fight among on-lookers. No one was arrested for the fight.

Pratt had reportedly had substance abuse problems before moving to Los Angeles. Often, drinking is the first step that leads back to a destructive habit. Since this is Pratt’s first DUI, she will likely not face jail time and instead have to pay fees and possibly get her license revoked. Whether you live in Tustin, Lake Forest or Anaheim Hills, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you. The attorney may be able to fight the charges if there was an error in the breathalyzer equipment.

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Last week, around 5 a.m. in the morning, Javier Luna-Alanis was driving on I-15 in Temecula. He changed lanes and accidentally hit the tail end of a car driven by Iryna Hogan, causing both cars to lose control and stop in the middle of the freeway. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital. Luna-Alanis was then arrested on suspicion of drunken driving causing injury.

If you are charged with a DUI, a good DUI defense attorney will know several tactics that can lower your sentence or even drop your charges. Possible defenses include insufficient evidence, inaccurate test results, medical conditions and road conditions. Whether you live in Lake Forest, Huntington Beach or Irvine, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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The Bakersfield Police Department just received a traffic safety grant that they plan on using to launch a DUI program to prevent DUI fatalities and injuries. The program will target DUI offenders and also educate the public on the dangers of drinking and driving. The money from the grant will be used for DUI checkpoints, saturation police, and sting operations that will target people who are repeat DUI offenders and have their licenses revoked. Police will also be educating motorcyclists since motorcycle accidents are on the rise. From 1998 to 2008, motorcycle accidents increased 175%.

Bakersfield has launched similar programs before and they have been proven effective. With increased DUI patrolling comes safer streets. As bad as it is to get a DUI, it is much worse if you actually kill someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Whether you live in Los Angeles County, Riverside County or Orange County, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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On Wednesday evening, actor Thomas Dekker was trying to get onto the freeway in North Hollywood, when he struck a bicyclist who was riding through the crosswalk. Police arrived and after issuing field sobriety tests, they arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage resulting in an injury to a party involved in a traffic collision. He was taken to jail and then released on $100,000 bail.

Driving under the influence is very dangerous and can lead to injury or the death of you or others around you. Other notable celebrities that have been caught driving under the influence include: Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, Michael Phelps, Lindsay Lohan and many others. Whether you live in Orange, Tustin or Laguna Beach, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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On Saturday, Lance Corporal Robert T. Austin was driving on the I-15 in Escondido. He got into a small fender bender accident with a nearby car, that caused Austin’s car to spin out of control. Austin and the passengers got out of the car and seconds later, another car crashed into Austin’s stalled car and Austin was knocked off of the freeway and down an embankment. The driver then fled.

Soon after, a third car hit the second car that had been abandoned on the road, causing the passenger of the third car to be killed instantly. Austin was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the second car, Oscar Tinoco, was found and arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run.

Multi-car accidents occur all the time. Unfortunately, they are often caused by drunk drivers. If you are planning on drinking, find a designated driver to take you home. If Tinoco is convicted of all of these charges, he may spend the rest of his life in prison. Regardless if you live in Orange or Irvine, if you are involved in a DUI accident, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills this week, that will toughen penalties for DUI offenders in some cities. According to one of the bills, a pilot program will be launched in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare, that will require people convicted of driving under the influence to install ignition interlock devices in their cars. These devices would require the driver to breathe into a tube on the device, which would test the driver’s blood alcohol level. The car would not start if the driver had a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher.

The other bill will allow repeat DUI offenders to apply for a restricted license if they install the ignition interlock device. About 50-75% of people who get their licenses revoked for a DUI, still drive, so this would make it easier for them to get a license and would give them an incentive to use the new device.

In New Mexico, this program has been implemented since 2003 and they have noticed a 22% decrease in alcohol related fatalities. Proponents say this will be the same result in California. Opponents question the effectiveness of the devices. I think this is a great way to reduce repeat offenders from driving while intoxicated, but I too question the effectiveness and the false positives that could result from the device.

Whether you live in Mission Viejo, Brea or Anaheim, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Last week, Michelle Niemiec was driving with her children around 2 p.m. She ran a stop sign in Lakeside and crashed into a dirt embankment. She and her children were badly injured. Niemeic broke both of her ankles and her three children all had injuries that needed medical attention. Allegedly, Niemiec had not been wearing her seat belt at the time of the accident. After being released from the hospital, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Niemiec is expected to be charged with felony DUI and child endangerment.

It is quite obvious that if you drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you are likely to injure someone or yourself. Since Niemiec was driving her children around, she should have known better than to drive while under the influence. Since she did drive while under the influence, she is now facing child endangerment charges because her children were injured while under her supervision. If convicted of both charges, Niemiec may face jail time. Whether you live in Orange, Huntington Beach or Aliso Viejo, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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Last week, around 2 a.m., a blank Infiniti driven by Ryan Dewindt rear-ended a Mustang driven by Victor Ontiveros. Both cars were trying to get off the exit and after being hit, the Mustang crashed into a tree near an apartment building. Police were called and after the men were questioned, officers noticed that both men were intoxicated. They were both arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Ontiveros may also be charged with obstructing an officer’s duty because he refused to get out of the car after the accident.

What are the odds of two drunk people running into each other? It seems rare, but it’s probably common at that time of night. These men were likely released after they sobered up and will face fines, license suspension and restitution for the damage caused to the cars. Whether you live in Tustin, Santa Ana and Orange, if you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced DUI defense attorney to assist you.

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