DUI Lawyer Watsonville. If you're up against a DUI in Watsonville, it can feel overwhelming. Your ability to drive isn't the only thing at risk; if you're facing years in prison for a repeat offense, your car is the least of your worries. You can face DUI charges even for just refusing to take the tests, and by declining, you could face even harsher penalties. And there are differences in DUI alcohol versus DUI marijuana cases, or other drugs.
When you're up against the CA legal system, you should consult with an expert to find your best path forward. Trying to fight against the prosecution is a battle you need a team behind you for, which is why the Law Offices of David S. Chesley is here to defend you.
We are California's top DUI defense lawyers and have successfully fought countless DUI charges. When you choose us, you're getting a team of accomplished defense attorneys who know how to protect you in the Watsonville, CA, legal system and provide paths to positive outcomes.
Acting fast is key to protecting your freedom and license. Speak with one of our attorneys without delay at (800) 755-5174 or contact us online to start crafting your defense today.
Watsonville, CA, DUI Lawyer Traffic Stop Tips:
We'd all love to drive without any risk of being pulled over, but knowing how to handle the situation is important for all Watsonville, CA, residents. Below are four tips from a Watsonville, CA, DUI Lawyer for you to remember if you're ever pulled over:
Tip #1: Have Your Documents Ready
Keep your license, insurance card, and vehicle registration together and easily accessible. If you're struggling to locate them and keep hold of them, the officer may think you're intoxicated. But if you don't need to search for them, you avoid that risk.
Tip #2: Don't Talk If Alcohol Is Smelled
You aren't required to answer any questions if the officer says that they smell alcohol. You have the right to remain silent at all points in the legal process. Call your DUI lawyer and stay quiet until they arrive.
Tip #3: Don't Automatically Consent to Tests
The state of California only legally requires drivers to participate in field sobriety tests if they are either under the age of 21, or are on probation. If you haven't been arrested, you can decline to participate. However, if you have been arrested and refuse a blood or breath test, your license will be suspended.
Tip #4: Respect the Law Enforcement Officer
Being rude won't help — it will come back to bite you. This isn't just something you're doing out of courtesy, though; it also helps your defense: If you try to talk back or argue with the officer, you are giving the police more evidence, which can be used against you.
What Happens After a DUI Arrest in Watsonville?
California DUI Law allows an officer to arrest you even if you BAC is below .08, or even if you aren't tested at all. This is because the officer can make a subjective judgment about whether you are impaired or not, probably through field sobriety tests, then decide whether or not to arrest you based on your performance.
Once this happens, the CA legal system will proceed with both a license suspension and criminal charges. You can expect the following steps to play out in your case:
- Suspension: Your license suspension effective immediately after your arrest – at that time, you will be given a 30-day, temporary license, and your permanent license will be confiscated by the officer. While you're proceeding through the system, the police are contacting the DMV about your DUI arrest, at which point, you're officially facing a license suspension.
- Arraignment: Sometime after arriving at the police station, you will be summoned to a court hearing, and a prosecutor will announce what charges you're up against.
- DMV Hearing: Even though you might feel overwhelmed by the criminal charges, you'll have 10 days after the arrest to contact the DMV for a hearing.
- Pretrial Motions: It's possible to be held in jail before your trial, but that's not very likely in DUI cases. Between your potential release and the trial, your Watsonville DUI defense attorney will file motions to strengthen your defense, such as ones to suppress evidence, and a "blood split" motion to get a second test for your blood sample.
- Negotiations With the Prosecutor: While filing pretrial motions, your DUI defense lawyer will speak with the Watsonville prosecutor to avoid a trial with a plea deal that protects you. But if you do have to fight the charges in a trial, your attorney should be creating a defense now.
- Criminal Trial: It's rare that a DUI case will go to trial, but we're prepared to defend your license and freedom if it does.
- Sentencing/Sealing: Depending on how you plea or are found, you may face some form of sentence. However, if you are found not guilty or enough time has passed, our record clearing attorneys can help you get a fresh start.
Our DUI legal experts can help you out, no matter where you are in the process, on both the criminal defense and license side. If you're facing a potential conviction, call now and we'll be happy to assist!
Defending Against Watsonville DUIs: Criminal Cases vs. DMV Hearings
Watsonville, CA, DUI charges require particular expertise because there are two sides that each need to be defended: The criminal case and the fight for your license. These will never be handled in the same hearing, but a leading DUI defense attorney from our offices will fight for you in both cases.
Here are descriptions of both case categories, and insights into how we protect your freedom and license:
Watsonville, CA, DUI Criminal Charges
Allegedly violating DUI laws will result in criminal charges. To fight them, you'll have to go through CA courts.
Most of the steps in a DUI criminal case are identical to that of another criminal charge – arrest, arraignment, pretrial activity, and possibly trial.
At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, we provide expert defense and push back against the allegations. We'll deconstruct the traffic stop, demonstrate any present errors in the police officer's judgement, look for faults in laboratory examinations, and look for witness testimony and other proof that can show the events in a more favorable light.
We know what it takes to keep DUI defense clients out of jail in Watsonville, CA. In many cases, we'll work out a plea for reduced charges, typically to a wet reckless, exhibition of speed, or reckless driving charge. We'll also avoid jail time with a probation sentence.
Watsonville, CA, DUI License Suspension
Even though the criminal charges may sound like the more serious matter, don't neglect the DMV and your license suspension. This suspension is automatically applied, and to effectively fight it, you'll need to request an administrative hearing within ten days of being arrested.
When you go through the DMV hearing, your criminal charges may not be a major focus. In fact, you can lose your license regardless of the outcome of the criminal case. Instead, the focus of this hearing is whether or not you were legitimately arrested, if your BAC was at or above 0.08, the legal limit, or, if you refused to cooperate when the officer tried to test you, whether or not you were properly informed of the consequences. These hearings have serious consequences that require an expert Watsonville, CA, DUI lawyer to navigate. At the hearing, we'll work to undermine the legitimacy of the stop, the arrest, and the BAC reading.
After ten days, though, you're out of options. Outside of rare cases, you don't get an extra chance to schedule that hearing. This is why it's important to contact a Watsonville DUI defense lawyer promptly after the traffic stop.
Watsonville DUI Sentences and Consequences
Watsonville, CA, DUI criminal penalties can leave a mark on your record for life – even though some are misdemeanors, you could still be sentenced to a year in jail, or six months for a first offense.
In this table, you can review the different penalties you could be up against, depending on how exactly your charged and your history:
| Formal DUI Charge | Jail/Prison Time | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| First Time DUI | 48 Hours to 6 Months | Up to $1,000 |
| Second Time DUI | 96 Hours to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| Third Time DUI | 120 Days to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| Fourth Time DUI (Felony) | 16 Months to 3 Years | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Injury (Misdemeanor) | Up to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Injury (Felony) | Up to 4 Years | Up to $5,000 |
| DUI Manslaughter (Misdemeanor) | Up to 1 Year | Up to $1,000 |
| DUI Manslaughter (Felony) | 4, 6 or 10 Years | Up to $10,000 |
Beyond any sentence that a judge in Watsonville, CA, sentences you to, you also need to worry about collateral consequences, such as elevated insurance costs and barriers between you and professional licenses.
DUIs and Immigration
DUI immigration consequences have the potential to be life-altering. On the bright side, most first-time DUIs at this time will not result in deportation. The bad news is that if something made this allegation more serious, like an injured bystander, you can qualify for deportation. What's worse, if H.R.875 passes, any DUI will be put on the same level as serious felonies when it comes to immigration consequenceses. For immigrants seeking citizenship, even if you aren't deported, it can count against your "good moral character," which you need to establish before becoming a citizen.
These accusations can be intimidating, but they are not the end. Your Watsonville, CA, immigration lawyer can give you practical advice on what comes next. At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, we can help you in all aspects of your case: We'll explore diversion programs that can protect you from a conviction, defend you against efforts to expel you from the country, and assist you with the citizenship application process.
After the Case: Expungement/Sealing
Whether your case ends in a conviction or an acquittal, odds are, you'll want to leave it in the past and move forward with your life. Unfortunately, your arrest and/or criminal record can cause some major issues for your life. Depending on your case outcome, there's a chance you're eligible to either expunge or seal your records. Fortunately, if you're in Watsonville, CA, our DUI lawyers will also fight to protect you in this way, and give you a chance to clean your record.
How to Pick the Right DUI Defense Lawyer
Defending yourself against a DUI in Watsonville? It's key to pick the right lawyer to defend you. Your team needs the proficiency, history, and contacts to provide the optimal outcome for your case. The top Watsonville, CA, DUI defense attorneys will have all of the following:
- Experience: If it's both for and against the state, even better. At the Law Offices of David S. Chesley, you get a team that has former judges, prosecutors, and police, totalling more than five decades of experience with the law.
- Availability: Because alleged DUIs can happen outside of the 9-to-5. Our lines are never off, and you can contact us 24/7.
- Relationships: An attorney who knows the local prosecutor can use that relationship to their advantage. We know how to connect with the prosecutors in Watsonville and all throughout CA.
- Reputation: The best lawyers are often professionally recognized. We're proud to have received numerous accolades and to be recognized as the top DUI lawyer in California.
- Track Record of Success: You want to work with an attorney who has successfully fought DUI charges in the past. We have. In fact, 95% of our DUI cases result in no jail time.
Our recent DUI Case results speak for themselves. If you're ready to join our list of successes, call now.
DUI Case Types We Defend Against in Watsonville
Whatever type of DUI charge you need help with in Watsonville, CA – your DUI defense lawyer from our team prepared to battle against the charges.
Below, you can review a list of the DUI case types we have experience defending:
- Boating Under the Influence
- Breathalyzer Test
- Commercial Driver CDL DUI
- Disorderly Conduct
- Disturbing the Peace
- DMV Hearing Defense
- Driving with a Suspended License
- Driving Without a License
- Driving Without Insurance
- Drug DUI
- Drunk in Public
- DUI Alcohol
- DUI and Professional Licenses in California
- DUI Blood Test Defense
- DUI Causing Injury
- DUI Checkpoint Defense Attorney
- DUI Defense Costs
- DUI Expungement in California
- DUI Immigration Consequences
- DUI License Reinstatement
- DUI Probation Violation
- DUI Marijuana
- DUI Prescription Drugs
- DUI Refusal Cases
- DUI Penalties
- DUI with Child Passenger
- Evasion
- Exhibition of Speed
- Felony DUI
- Field Sobriety Tests
- First-Time DUI
- Fourth DUI Felony Escalation
- Hit and Run
- Hit and Run DUI
- Hit and Run with Injury or Death
- Ignition Interlock Device Violations
- Out-of-State DUI
- Public Intoxication
- Reckless Driving
- Street Racing
- Second Time DUI
- Third DUI California
- Underage DUI
- Watson Murder / DUI Murder
- Wet Reckless
DUI Defense Strategies in Watsonville, CA
Our Watsonville, CA, DUI lawyers will examine your case and suggest a defensive strategy that will maximize your chances of a positive outcome. When fighting cases, here are some of the possible defenses we'll use.
Challenge the Legality of the Arrest
The police need to follow rules when initiating a traffic stop and investigating a potential DUI. If they broke those rules, you might be able to secure a dismissal of the charges. This defense is relevant if, for example, you were not read your Miranda rights before an interrogation, anything you said could be thrown out.
Flaws in Blood, Breath, and/or Urine Tests
Many DUI cases center around a blood-alcohol content test. Our team will look into any potential procedural errors, re-examine the evidence to look for alternate explanations, and analyze the state's case to see if there was an error made in how your evidence was processed.
Challenge Field Sobriety Tests
Field sobriety tests, like 'horizontal gaze nystagmus,' are a widely-recognized way of evaluating somebody's level of impairment. But these tests are subjective. An experienced Watsonville, CA, DUI attorney will know how to dissect any records and show whether or not you were fairly judged.
Explain BAC With Medical Conditions
In most cases, law enforcement will follow proper procedure when testing your blood alcohol level. Let's say that this is true for your stop, and your BAC was .08 or higher. Even though this is harder to fight, you do still have viable defense strategies. We can examine your diet and medical conditions to find alternative explanations.
Get Rapid Assistance – Contact Our Watsonville DUI Defense Lawyers AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Watsonville, CA, DUI accusations are serious. After an arrest, it can be a whirlwind of legal processes. Your license is suspended, there could be interrogations, you're given a court date…it's easy to be like there's no way forward. In order to find a way out of all that, you need to hire a DUI defense attorney as soon as possible.
Don't give up and let the district attorney win. Don't let your license go without a fight. Don't wait and realize that it's suddenly too late. Hire the Law Offices of David S. Chesley to defend you.
We're experts at defending all Watsonville, CA DUI charges. We're prepared to start building your defense right now and will start protecting your driving privileges and searching for positive outcomes today. Talk to one of our team members now at (800) 755-5174 or get in touch online for a no strings attached case review.
We also provide the following legal services in Watsonville, CA:
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