Santa Monica DUI Attorney
Santa Monica is a city located in the western part of Los Angeles County. The city of Santa Monica maintains its own police force with well funded investigation units and DUI enforcement officers. If you were arrested by Santa Monica police for a DUI, you need the experience of Santa Monica DUI Attorney who can help you save your driver’s license and avoid jail time. DUI are taken very seriously by Santa Monica police and are prosecuted relentlessly by the Santa Monica city attorney office and the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office.
Santa Monica DUI Attorney: Click on the links below to go directly to your topic of interest:
- Santa Monica DUI Attorney Discusses Prosecuting Agencies In Santa Monica
- Santa Monica DUI Attorney Discusses DUI Courts
- Santa Monica DUI Attorney explains DMV hearings
Santa Monica DUI Attorney Discusses Prosecuting Agencies In Santa Monica.
A DUI arrest in the city of Santa Monica can be prosecuted by the Los Angeles district attorney or by the Santa Monica City Attorney. District Attorney will prosecute felony cases that took place in the city of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica City Attorney will prosecuted misdemeanors that took place in the city of Santa Monica. Felony is a kind of criminal offense for which a defendant can be sentenced to prison or jail for more then one year. A misdemeanor is a criminal offense for which a sentence of less then one year can be imposed. Additionally, felonies have much more serious criminal record that can result in you losing your rights, licenses and permits and even jobs. For example, convicted felons can never possess firearms, even when they expunge their convictions which can cause a termination from a security job or any job where felons are not hired. A felony DUI can mean one of three things: you have more then 3 previous DUI’s with the past 10 years, there was a serious accident with injuries during the DUI, or your previous DUI case was a felony. The rest of the DUI cases will be filed as misdemeanors, even when there are multiple DUI cases on your record. The location of Santa Monica prosecutorial agencies are:
Los Angeles County District Attorney
11701 South La Cienega Boulevard
Suite 601
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Phone: (310) 727-6500
Fax: (310) 727-0565
AND
Santa Monica City Attorney
1685 Main Street, Room 310
Santa Monica, CA 90401
tel 310-458-8336
fax 310-395-6727
Santa Monica DUI Attorney Discusses DUI Courts
A criminal case that originates with the Santa Monica Police Department will be first presented to the city prosecutor or the county district attorney. If the prosecutors reviews and determines that there is sufficient evidence to get a conviction in a criminal case, they will file the case. They will consider if the evidence they have will allow them to prove the case to “beyond a resonable doubt”. The cases that starts as Santa Monica arrests are usually filed in Los Angeles Airport Courthouse. A first court appearance on a criminal case is called, an “arraignment”, where a defendant is formally informed of the charges and enters a plea. After the arraignment, the case can proceed to a jury trial or a preliminary hearing in case of a felony. In California, all felony and misdemeanor cases are entitled to trial by jury. A misdemeanor can proceed to a jury trial within 30 days of arraignment if defendant is in custody or 45 days if defendant is out of custody. For a felony, there is a right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of arraignment and right to a jury trial within 60 days of the arraignment. If you are not interested in a jury trial, but would prefer to resolve your case with a plea bargain, the prosecutor will offer a disposition either at arraignment or at a pretrial. Santa Monica DUI lawyer can help you decide if the plea bargain offer from the prosecutor is an offer worth considering. Santa Monica DUI case are filed in department 73 and felony cases first proceed to Department 30.
The location of the courthouse:
Airport Courthouse
11701 S. La Cienega
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Santa Monica DUI Attorney explains DMV hearings
In addition to a criminal prosecution, most DUI arrestees face a DMV suspension or a license revocation. Depending on the number of previous DMV suspension and the facts of the arrest, you can face license suspension or license revocation by the DMV. A DMV suspension that can happen after a DMV hearing is in addition to any suspension you might get on your record because of a DUI conviction. Because DMV hearings are in addition to the criminal DUI cases, avoiding a DUI conviction will not prevent license suspension. A DMV hearing is based on either a refusal to submit to a chemical test or on a result of a chemical test showing the blood alcohol level of .08% or higher. A .08% BAC breath or blood test can cause a license suspension or revocation for up to 3 years. Refusal to submit to a chemical test can also have very harsh consequences. Santa Monica DUI Attorney can help you defend a DMV hearing and get your license back from the DMV.
You have a right to have a DMV hearing only if you request it within the ten days of arrest. If you request the DMV hearing within the 10 days of arrest, you will be mailed a police report and given a telephonic or an “in-person” hearing where the DMV will decide whether they want to let you keep your license. The DMV will be represented by a single hearing officer who will decide if there was a good reason to pull you over, whether you were arrested for a good reason and whether your blood alcohol level, tested within 3 hours of driving, was above .08% BAC. If you lose the hearing, you might be entitled to an appeal and a restricted license. Call Santa Monica DUI attorney to find out how to appeal your DMV hearing or get a restricted license. A Santa Monica drunk driving arrest will be sent to El Segundo Driver Safety Office for a hearing. A driver safety office is a special DMV office that handles DMV hearings.
Driver Safety Office
390 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 2075
El Segundo, CA 90245-4470
Phone (310) 615-3500
Fax (310) 615-3581
Santa Monica DUI lawyer will help you fight your DUI case in court and at the DMV.
(818) 921 7744 Call anytime to talk directly to Los Angeles DUI Attorney
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