California Criminal Lawyer Blog

Michael Jackson, 24, of Chino Hills was arrested after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 13-year-old girl, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. Jackson was reportedly arrested after police say he attempted to kiss and entice a 13-year-old girl into having sex, San Bernardino County Sheriff's officials said. Jackson was apparently at the door of the girl's house selling magazines. The girl told officials that when she opened the door, Jackson made sexual advances and tried to get her to come out of the house.

Sex crimes in California are criminal offenses that are of a sexual nature. They vary in type and by severity of prosecution and punishment. Many of the commonly known crimes that fall into this category are rape, sexual battery, lewd contact, child molestation, prostitution, lewd acts and indecent exposure.

Consequences for a sex crime conviction can be quite severe. Apart from jail time and other hefty penalties, you will also be required to register as a sex offender, which means your name, address and photo could get on a public database. If you have been charged or accused of a sex crime in Southern California, please call Takakjian & Sitkoff to find out how we can help you. We have extensive experience in handling sex offense cases. We will provide early preparation, including legal research and defense identification. Our Los Angeles sex crime defense attorneys will investigate and identify all facts helpful to your defense. Please call us today at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation.

A Los Angeles court will decide whether a 15-year-old alleged gang member should stand trial as an adult for murder, according to a news report in the Long Beach Press Telegram. The defendant, who has not been identified because he is a juvenile, is one of two people charged in the April 4 robbery and murder of 27-year-old Garrett Norris of Long Beach. Norris was killed after he tried to stop the two alleged gang members from running off with his belongings including an iPod. Norris was reportedly shot in the chest.

The 15-year-old boy was arrested within a few days of the homicide in California. Police also arrested a second suspect, 24-year-old Tyree Tradell Joyner of Long Beach. Joyner is facing the same special circumstance murder charge as the 15-year-old. The teen is scheduled to have a fitness hearing – which is normally used to determine whether a minor should be tried as an adult.

The Southern California juvenile crime attorneys at Takakjian & Sitkoff know and understand that immediate intervention by an attorney can often prevent a criminal matter from proceeding to juvenile court or minimize the potential serious consequences that can come from juvenile detention. Each of our partners is a former Deputy District Attorney previously assigned to the Juvenile Justice System. Attorney Steve Sitkoff is a former Superior Court Commissioner who handled juvenile dependency cases.

We will put our experience and knowledge to good use and help you get the best possible result in your case. Handling California juvenile crime cases not only requires experience and knowledge, but also understanding and sensitivity. We understand that this must be a tough time for your family emotionally. If your child has been accused of a crime in Los Angeles, Orange or Ventura counties, please call Takakjian & Sitkoff at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation.

A driving under the influence charge against Los Angeles Clippers forward, Zach Randolph, has been dismissed and reduced to one charge of reckless driving, the Associated Press reports in a story. Randolph was arrested and booked on suspicion of DUI on April 6 and was even suspended for two games because of the incident. The arrest occurred when Randolph was pulled over by two California Highway Patrol officers who reportedly saw his white Rolls-Royce weaving on the 405 Freeway. Officials said the CHP officers could smell alcohol inside the car and conducted a field sobriety test. Randolph was then arrested and charged with the DUI. Randolph has pleaded not guilty on the reckless driving count.

Driving under the influence in Los Angeles and reckless driving are both serious charges. In California, it is a crime to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of both. It is also illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more. Arresting law enforcement officers use various tools to determine whether a motorist is driving under the influence. Breath tests and field sobriety tests are the most common tools authorities use to gauge a driver's level of intoxication.

However, as DUI defense attorneys, we have seen that neither breathalyzer tests nor field sobriety tests are a good way to determine whether or not a driver is intoxicated. Both methods have a wide margin of error, which is probably why the DUI charge against Randolph was dismissed. If you have been arrested on suspicion of DUI, you need a knowledgeable and experienced Los Angeles drunk driving defense attorney who can thoroughly investigate and prove your case. If you or a loved one has been charged with drunk driving in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please call Takakjian & Sitkoff at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation today.

Huntington Beach police have arrested four men in their 20s, who have been accused of committing theft crimes in Orange County by robbing two residents at their home. A fourth man, a 50-year-old, has also been charged in connection with three armed home invasion robberies in Los Angeles County, The Orange County Register reports in an article. Those arrested were – Richard Martinez, 27, Jesse Paul Rubio, 28, Brian Dean Nightingale, 29, and Anthony Michael Vega, 50. Martinez and Rubio are accused of committing a similar home invasion robbery in Newport Beach in December.

Officials also believe these men may be behind several other robberies and residential burglaries in Los Angeles in addition to Orange and San Bernardino counties. Authorities say they have recovered stolen property and large cache of firearms, some of which were reported stolen in the burglaries. The four men face 34 felony charges.

Burglary and theft are property crimes in California. However, robbery falls under the category of "violent crime" because it usually involves threat and intimidation, usually with a weapon. Robbery is a far more serious crime than burglary with severe consequences. If convicted, a defendant can be looking at a lengthy prison sentence, sometimes a life sentence depending on the number of counts alleged.

If you have been accused of robbery, you need a skilled and experienced Orange County criminal defense attorney who will independently and thoroughly investigate the case and determine the facts. The evidence in such cases is very significant. Our knowledgeable criminal defense lawyers at Takakjian & Sitkoff will carefully examine the evidence and build a strong defense that will get a violent crime defendant acquitted or their charges reduced. Please call us today at 866-299-4111for a free consultation and case evaluation.

A passenger in his 20s was reportedly killed on impact after a vehicle driven by a suspected drunk driver crashed into a street sign in Baldwin Village, CBS News reports in an article. The fatal DUI car accident in Los Angeles occurred at the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Rodeo Road, police officials said. The driver, a woman, was arrested and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Officials expect the driver will be charged with drunk driving after she is released from the hospital.

In the state of California, it is a crime to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Driving under the influence can be a misdemeanor or a felony. If the DUI incident involves major injury or death to a person other than the alleged drunk driver, then it will almost always be charged as a felony, which is a more serious offense. In addition to a felony DUI charge, the defendant may also be facing a Los Angeles DUI vehicular manslaughter charge.

California Penal Code section 191.5 (a) states: "Gross vehicular manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle… and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence."

Whether you are facing a felony DUI charge or a vehicular manslaughter charge in California, you need the knowledge and skill of an experienced California DUI defense lawyer. You could be facing serious consequences if convicted including prison time and hefty fines. Please call Takakjian & Sitkoff at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation regarding your DUI case today.

Oscar Omar Guerca, 30, of Santa Ana was sentenced to 16 years in prison in connection with the death of a motorist who died when Guerca rear-ended his vehicle from behind. According to an article in The Orange County Register, Guerca pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, hit-and-run with injury, a sentencing enhancement for fleeing the scene of the crash and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

Guerca was reportedly driving on the 55 Freeway near Chapman Avenue in a Chevy SUV the night of December 20, 2008 when traffic slowed down because of Caltrans work. Guerca struck 33-year-old Marco Antonio Aguilar from behind. Prosecutors say Guerca was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph. Aguilar died instantly. Officials say Guerca attempted to flee the scene, but was apprehended. He is said to have had a blood alcohol level of 0.13 percent two hours after the crash.

In California, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher. California Penal Code section 191.5 (a) states: "Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence."

If you or someone you love has been arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving or vehicular manslaughter, you need an aggressive, knowledgeable and experienced Orange County DUI defense lawyer, who will either get you acquitted or your charges reduced. If convicted, you face some serious prison time and other hefty penalties. Please do not let this happen to you. Call Takakjian & Sitkoff today at 888-579-4844 to discuss your case and let us build your winning defense strategy.

Police in Wildomar arrested an Orange County sheriff's deputy on suspicion of committing California sex crimes against a child younger than 14 years of age, the North County Times reports in a story. Wilbert Dale Garcia, 49, was arrested during a traffic stop in Murrieta. Garcia was placed on administrative leave following his arrest.

Sex crime charges are extremely serious because of the consequences. If convicted of committing lewd or sexual acts on children, you could be sentenced to serve time in prison, your reputation will be tarnished, your career could be in jeopardy and you will very likely be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life. That is why, if you have been charged with committing a sexual crime against a child, you need a reputed and skilled Southern California criminal defense attorney, who has experience aggressively defending sex crime charges.

California Penal Code Section 288 (a) defines lewd act with a child under 14 as such: "Any person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act, including any of the acts constituting other crimes provided for in Part 1, upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six or eight years."

Whether the defendant is a cop, as in this case, or a civilian, these penalties do not change. Please contact an aggressive criminal defense lawyer who will sort out the facts in your case and help establish your innocence. If you or a loved one has been accused of committing sex crimes or child sex abuse or lewd acts on a child under 14, please contact an experienced sex crime defense lawyer in Orange County at Takakjian & Sitkoff. Call 888-579-4844 for a free consultation and case evaluation.