Facing a DUI charge in Bellflower, CA isn’t easy. The penalties for DUI are severe—they include jail time, massive fines, and mandatory suspension of your driver’s license. Many DUI defendants find that if they don’t fight their case, they end up with repercussions that last a lifetime.
That’s why a Bellflower DUI lawyer makes such a difference. DUI lawyers are trained to spot the weaknesses in the case against you. They can often convince a prosecutor to offer a generous deal, or even win your case outright. If you’ve been arrested for DUI, getting a Los Angeles DUI lawyer is one of the smartest things you can do.
The Cost of a DUI
The price tag for a DUI has spiraled. The more than 150 DUI arrests a year.
And the financial penalties are only part of the sentence. Sentences for DUI are determined by California state law, and get worse with each successive DUI. If you are facing a first time DUI charge, the minimum penalties include:
- Jail time. All DUI convictions include jail time. The first time minimum is 2 days in jail. It can easily be as much as 6 months.
- Losing your license. There is no way to keep your license if convicted of DUI. It will be suspended for at least several months, and often far longer.
- Fines and fees. The fines for DUI are complex. They include the actual fine itself, and numerous
“court assessments” or fees added on top. How bad are these fees? The minimum fine for a first time DUI is only $390, but when all the fees are added in, the total is more like $1,800. - DUI school. You will be required to take a three month DUI education class at your own expense. This will cost an additional $500.
For second and third DUIs, the consequences are even steeper. Jail time can be up to a year, or 16 months in state prison. Fines and fees soar to the tens of thousands of dollars. License suspension and DUI school can last years. And there is the possibility of having to install an interlock device on your car. Even when the penalties are served, you will remain on probation for a long time.
Navigating Your DUI Case
Not all DUI’s begin the same way, and the differences depend in part on who arrested you. Bellflower doesn’t have its own police station, so law enforcement is handled mainly by the LA County Sheriff operating out of their Lakewood office. But you may also have been arrested by California state troopers. In most cases, you will have to spend a night in jail at the Lakewood Sheriff’s station.
Being released is only the beginning, however. Immediately upon your arrest, a number of legal deadlines are looming, and you have to act quickly to prepare for each one. These include:
- The DMV hearing. From the date of your arrest, you have only 10 days to request a hearing with the DMV. If you do not request this hearing, they will suspend your license—even if you have not been convicted. This is known as administrative suspension. Attending and winning your DMV hearing is the only way to keep your license until trial. We strongly recommend you ask a DUI defense lawyer to represent you at this hearing.
- The arraignment. Your arraignment is a short court hearing before a judge. It’s usually held within the first several weeks after your arrest. At this hearing you will be asked to enter a plea, and your court date will be set. If you have a lawyer with you at this hearing, it sends a strong message to the prosecution that you are not going to be an easy win. They may come up with an offer for you immediately afterward.
- Trial preparation. The lag between the arraignment and the actual trial can be months. This is the time your lawyer will use to prepare your case. They will review all of the prosecution’s evidence and file motions to exclude evidence that hasn’t been properly gathered or handled. This can mean suppressing the results of a breath test or blood test. This is the time when the best deals are typically offered.
- Your trial. Many DUI cases are settled without ever going to court. If you do go to trial, it will likely be at the Bellflower Courthouse. Although trial can be nerve wracking, DUI defense lawyer fight these cases for a living. The most experienced DUI attorneys have a high rate of success and many DUI cases end in acquittal.
What Can a Bellflower DUI Attorney Do for Your Case?
If you were required to take a blood, breath or urine test, you may think the case against you is unbeatable. It’s not. What you may not realize is that virtually all DUI arrests involve this kind of testing, and the results are widely inaccurate. You may be able to win your case no matter how bad it looks.
Some of the tactics a lawyer will use for you include:
- Overturning the chemical test. Many factors throw off a breath test, from diet to medical conditions to substances like breath spray and mouth wash. Blood tests are more reliable, but only if done properly. If any procedures were not followed, your lawyer may be able to get this “evidence” excluded.
- Examining the arrest. Police have to follow rules when making a traffic stop and have to advise you of your rights before interrogating you. If these rules were violated, any incriminating statements you made may not be admissible.
- Alternative explanations. Just because the police think someone is drunk doesn’t mean they were. You may have been drowsy, stressed, or simply made a normal driving mistake.
- Rebutting testimony. Police officers make guesses and assumptions during arrest, but in the police report, these assumptions often get states as fact. Your lawyer will find inconsistencies in testimony from the officers and other witnesses, and debunk them.
The ultimate goal of every DUI defense lawyer is to win your case. Even when this isn’t possible, they may be able to get you a generous deal, reduce the fines against you, or even reduce the charge to something less serious than DUI. In some cases the charges against you could be dropped altogether.
Speak to a Bellflower DUI Lawyer for FREE Today
From the moment of your arrest, you have to start making decisions—decisions will affect the future of your case, your driver’s license, and even your job. There’s a tight deadline for each of these choices, and the earlier you get a lawyer, the more they can help.
We want to make that process easy. That’s why we’ll match you with a qualified Bellflower DUI attorney—free of charge. We work only with the most experienced and successful attorneys. Every one of them focuses exclusively on DUI defense, and offers a FREE consultation.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Talk to a lawyer who can help you. Fill out the form to the right or call (310) 896-2724 and get your FREE consultation today.
