- What are my options?
- Is it Possible to Win a California DUI Case?
- What are the Penalties for California DUI Conviction?
- What Will Happen at Court?
- Why do I Need to Contact the California DMV within 10 days of My Arrest?
- Can California DMV Administrative Hearings be Won?
- How Long Will All This Take?
- What are the Costs Involved?
- Why should I Hire DUI Crew?
What are my Options?
Unless you want to accept the maximum DUI penalties, you need to ask the judge for time to hire an attorney. An experienced legal representative will help you explore various DUI defense tactics to use including a pursuit of case dismissal, plea bargain negotiation, and taking the case to trial.
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Is it Possible to Win a DUI Case in California?
To simply answer the question, yes. Absolutely. The El Cajon DUI attorneys at DUI Crew have an extensive track record of fighting and winning DUI cases. Not only is it possible to get DUI charges reduced, but it is even possible to get them entirely dismissed. Many DUI defenses have been successful in previous cases including challenging blood alcohol concentration measurements and arguing constitutional rights violations.
The San Diego DUI attorneys at DUI Crew systematically review police reports for any sort of inconsistencies and lapses in their procedures. Our DUI attorneys also request complete disclosure about the device used to test your blood alcohol concentration level (BAC), the people involved in the maintenance and operation of the device, and their lab certification.
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What Penalties Come with a California DUI Conviction?
Penalties for an El Cajon DUI include:
Incarceration ranging from a few days in county jail to several years in a California state prison
Probation – either formal (with a probation officer) or an informal probation
Monetary damages in the form of fines, penalties, and restitution
Restriction, suspension or revocation of your California Driver License
Mandatory attendance at treatment programs
Car impoundment
Installation of ignition interlock device (IID)
The imposition and severity of these penalties vary depending on any prior DUI convictions and the circumstances of the case.
On top of state sanctions and penalties, DUI convictions usually will result in higher insurance premiums, and in some cases can affect your employment.
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What Will Happen at Court?
On your citation, or somewhere in your paperwork, the date, time and location of your court appearance is listed. If you still haven’t hired a DUI attorney by then, you must attend court on that date and time. After the attorney-represented cases, the judge will begin addressing the non-attorney cases.
The judge appointed to your case will ask you to enter a plea to the charges that you are facing. You will need to plead guilty or not guilty. Depending on your plea, the judge will question you to decide if you want to waive your constitutional rights, including your right to a speedy trial.
If you plead guilty to your charges, it’s highly likely that the judge will pass the sentence immediately. Depending on the charges you are facing, the county that is charging you, and the judge, the time of this sentence can vary quite a bit. Most DUI crimes require some time in jail or a program instead of jail time, a drunk driver program, a fine, and some time on probation.
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Why must I Contact the California DMV within ten days of My Arrest?
After you’ve been arrested for an El Cajon DUI, you are facing two different processes with the DMV and the court system. You must contact the DMV and request an Administrative Hearing within 10 days of your arrest to keep your driving privileges. Even if you were in jail, or the incident was on a weekend, you still only have 10 calendar days to request an Administrative Hearing with the DMV. Temporary driver’s licenses issued to DUI defendants expire after 30 days of the incident, but driving privileges are extended until a DMV hearing is held and a decision is made.
If yourCalifornia DMV hearing is won, you will have your driving privileges until the courts make a decision.
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Can DMV Hearings be Won?
Our El Cajon DUI lawyers have experience defending and winning California DMV Administrative Hearings. For your driving privilege to be restricted, the DMV Hearing Officer must determine three things:
Who was the driver of the vehicle
Whether the police officer had a “reasonable cause” to pull over and arrest the driver
Whether the driver of the vehicle had a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or above
A good defense that possibly includes expert witnesses can bring up some important questions about one or more of these criteria.
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How Long Will Everything Take?
Unless you’re willing to plead guilty at your initial court hearing, the process of a DUI defense can take some time. A more complicated DUI case can last several months to a year as it winds through the court system. Felony DUI cases (usually involving accidents or injury) or cases with several prior offenses may even last several years. When working with the attorneys at DUI Crew, once we review the individual circumstances of your case during a Free DUI Defense Consultation, we give an estimate of the amount of time your case will take.
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What will this cost me?
There are many potential costs associated with a DUI in El Cajon. These include court costs, fines, attorney fees, expert witnesses, traffic school, and increased costs of insurance premiums. Even in the best case senario where all charges are dropped, getting arrested for a DUI can cost you a minimum of several thousand dollars for various expenses. More serious DUI cases can cost over ten thousand dollars after all the insurance, fines, and defense fees.
Our DUI attorneys will go over these circumstances with you during a Free DUI Defense Consultation, which lets you know what to expect before retaining us.
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Why should I Hire the El Cajon DUI attorneys at DUI Crew?
For several years, our attorneys have been committed to providing our best DUI defense at an affordable rate. El Cajon DUI defense is what our attorneys specialize in, and they do it well.
You will get a DUI lawyer who know the law, has a proven track record of successful El Cajon DUI defense, and is willing to fight from the beginning to the end for you.
If you have been arrested for a DUI in El Cajon, contact a DUI attorney today!