Orange County Sheriff’s deputy Erin Guidice plead no contest to a DUI accident committed on April 15, as reported in the Orange County Register today.
Apparently, she rammed her car into the back of another car. Her blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit at the time of the collision.
I can only imagine how embarassed she must be. Having recently been promoted to head up the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol division, she was reassigned to the jail two days after the accident. According to the Orange County Superior Court website, she didn’t admit to an accident, making me wonder whether the DA’s office dismissed that separate allegation.
So the question is this: Did she get a better deal than the average Irvine, California citizen who pleads guilty before the judge at Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach? What if she had hired a qualified DUI defense attorney to represent her? Would she have gotten a better deal?
Perhaps she can look to the mercy of the Sheriff’s department. The article doesn’t mention that she was suspended without pay. The accident was three months ago but it’s “under review”. What does that mean? Three months for a review? The Irvine Driver’s Safety office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles will give someone a police report if they schedule an Administrative Hearing within 10 days, so there should be no reason for delay on a consequence.
If you have any questions about possible defenses to a DUI with an accident, call Irvine DUI attorney William Weinberg at 949.474.8008.