California Criminal Lawyer Blog

Los Angeles police arrested "Point Break" actress Lori Petty for drunk driving after she struck and injured a skateboarder, according to a Fox News report. The 45-year-old actress was arrested in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles. Police say the skateboarder, who was not identified, was treated for injuries at the scene.

It is illegal for drivers 21 years of age or older to drive a motor vehicle or operate any recreational vessel, aquaplane or boat, under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Consequences of a Los Angeles DUI arrest include jail time, formal/informal probation, alcohol or drug rehab, loss or suspension of your driver's license, significant fines, vehicle impoundment and significant auto insurance rate hikes or even insurance policy cancelation. Whether a DUI involves a celebrity or an average person, the consequences are devastating.

Continue reading " Actress Lori Petty Arrested for DUI in Los Angeles " »

Some people are surprised to learn that domestic violence doesn’t have to be between a husband and a wife. It can be between two people in a relationship or who used to be in a relationship. Domestic violence can also involve children and the elderly. Serious penalties can await the individual who caused physical harm or made threats, despite being a male or a female. Police officers can make an arrest and issue a report for misdemeanor or felony prosecution if they have reasonable belief that a wrongful act of violence or threat was made. A recent and very public California domestic violence case involves pop-icons Rihanna and Chris Brown.

Rihanna, 21 was subpoenaed to appear in a Los Angeles court on June 22, 2009 to give her testimony against Chris Brown, 20 for an alleged domestic violence assault that occurred more than four months ago. People.com sought a legal opinion from Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, Stephen David Sitkoff, as to whether the prosecution would consider Rihanna a reliable witness. Sitkoff stated, “Prosecutors wouldn't bring her in to testify if they didn't think she was going to be a solid witness…if Rihanna was going to change her story out of fear or to protect Brown, it generally would've happened by now."

This preliminary hearing would have established if there was substantial evidence for a trial against Brown and whether his two felony charges—assault and making criminal threats--would be dismissed or reduced.

Continue reading " Rihanna and Chris Brown Domestic Violence Case " »

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for striking and killing a Thousand Oaks jogger in August 2008. According to this news report in the Camarillo Acorn, Nicholas LaGrotta pleaded guilty in November to gross vehicular manslaughter in California after the Subaru Forester he was driving struck and killed 46-year-old Karey Marsh as she was jogging on Lindero Canyon Road. Marsh was pronounced dead at the scene. LaGrotta reportedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent and prosecutors had sought the 10-year maximum penalty. The judge also ordered LaGrotta to pay $126,000 in restitution to Marsh's fiancé and $3,798 in damages to the city of Thousand Oaks.

The penalties for a felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges can be extremely severe. If convicted of these serious charges, you could be looking at several years in prison, hefty fines and restitution, and lengthy suspension or revocation of your driver's license. These consequences could have long-term effects on your personal life and career.

If you or someone you love has been charged with felony drunk driving or vehicular manslaughter in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please call Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP for a free, comprehensive and confidential consultation. Our experienced California DUI defense attorneys will conduct a thorough, independent investigation into your case and gather the evidence that is needed to make every effort to get your charges dismissed or reduced. A DUI case can be extremely complicated. The stakes are too high. Please do not take any chances. Our skilled criminal defense lawyers in California have the experience and the knowledge of the law and local courts that is necessary to get the best possible result in your case. Call us today at 866-299-4111 to schedule your free consultation.

An Orange County woman, who had been accused of hit-and-run in connection with a January DUI auto accident in Orange County in Trabuco Canyon pleaded guilty to driving under the influence with injury. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, Kristen Wilcox has been sentenced to 20 days in jail, three years probation, $390 in fines and three months on the first offender alcohol program. The accident occurred January 26, 2009 when the 23-year-old Wilcox crashed into a light pole on Live Oak Canyon Road.

The incident left almost 400 people without power for several hours and left Wilcox's 17-year-old passenger with minor injuries. Wilcox left the crashed vehicle and injured passenger, but was arrested two hours later in the area by California Highway Patrol officials. Officers determined that Wilcox had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Two charges against Wilcox were dismissed – hit-and-run with injury or death and driving under the influence with blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more causing injury or death.

If you are a first-time DUI offender and your accident did not involve major injuries or death, there is a good chance that the court will consider alternative sentencing in your DUI case. Examples of alternative sentencing in DUI cases include alcohol or drug rehabilitation programs, drug court, alcohol counseling, community service and so on. A skilled Orange County DUI defense attorney will help keep you out of jail and get you the help and support you need. If you have been charged with a DUI in Los Angeles, Orange or Ventura counties, please call Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP at 866-299-4111 to find out more information about your legal rights and options.

A La Puente woman was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in California and hit-and-run after she allegedly collided with a Covina police cruiser. According to a news report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 29-year-old Sandra Faviola Guerra was arrested a mile away from where the crash occurred. Guerra and her female passenger did not suffer significant injuries.

California Highway Patrol officials say the Covina police car was going south on Barranca Avenue approaching Cypress Street with a green light when Guerra was making a right turn on a red light from Cypress to Barranca. The police vehicle was disabled as a result of the crash and the officer could not pursue Guerra. But other officers did and apprehended her a few blocks away. CHP officials are also looking into whether the officer was speeding. The length of skid marks is an indicator of the speed of a vehicle involved in a collision. This is the type of evidence analysis our law firm has extensive experience in evaluating.

In California, it is a crime to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. Leaving the scene of an accident is a violation of Section 20001 of the California Vehicle Code which states: "The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to any person, other than himself or herself, or in the death of any person shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident."

The consequences of California DUI penalties and a hit-and-run conviction could involve jail time, hefty fines, probation and loss/revocation of your driving privilege. If you have been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and/or hit-and-run, it is critical that you contact an experienced Los Angeles DUI defense lawyer right away. If you need help or information about your DUI case, please call Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation.

A former youth church pastor has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for having sex with a 17-year-old girl he met through his youth ministry, according to this news report. Daniel John Pedroza, 28, pleaded guilty to three California felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of oral copulation of a minor and one count of sexual penetration by foreign object of a minor. Prosecutors asked the judge to give Pedroza a one-year-sentence. But the judge gave him 90 days and placed him on five years of probation.

Pedroza apparently met the girl at the Capistrano Beach church. Their relationship is said to have taken place between July 1 and December 1 at his home and hers when her parents were not home, prosecutors said. The girl told about their sexual relationship to Orange County Social Services staff. Pedroza was then fired by the church and charged.

Sex crimes in Orange County are among those that have the most serious consequences and almost all will involve jail time. Punishment for a sex crime offender depends on the type of crime alleged. A misdemeanor sex crime conviction could result in up to one year of county jail time. A rape, sexual assault or child sex abuse allegation can result in lengthy prison time.

Whatever the nature of the sex crime charges you are facing, you need the skill and expertise of an experienced Los Angeles sex crime defense attorney right from the start. A skilled California criminal defense attorney will make sure that the case is thoroughly investigated and your side of the story is heard. If you are facing sex crime charges, please call Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff, LLP at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation and discussion of your case.

A teenager and a 38-year-old woman were injured after the 18-year-old driver crashed a Porsche near a freeway onramp in Costa Mesa. Police arrested Dominick Anthony McCoy, 18, on suspicion of DUI in California, according to a news report in The Orange County Register. The injured woman was identified as Dorothy Dunlap. Police say the teen was driving at a high rate of speed south on Bear Street near Paularino Avenue when he crashed the car. The Porsche struck an electrical box, went through a freeway sign and came to rest about 20 feet later on the onramp from Bear to the northbound 73 Freeway.

In California, it is illegal for drivers under 21 years of age to drive a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of 0.01 percent or more. The penalties of underage DUI can be severe and could include fines, loss/suspension of driver's license, jail time and participation in an alcohol education or community service program. If the California DUI accident involves injuries or fatalities to passengers (occupants of the vehicle other than the defendant), the penalties could be even more severe.

If you or a loved one has been charged with driving under the influence in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please contact Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP for a free consultation. In any DUI case, the stakes are high and the consequences can be devastating. Not seeking the advice of experienced Los Angeles drunk driving defense lawyers can be a costly mistake. Please call us today at 866-299-4111 to find out more information about how we can help you fight your DUI and build a strong defense in your case.

Police in Ventura County arrested 26-year-old Jose Gonzalez on suspicion of DUI in California after he allegedly struck five parked vehicles. According to a news report in the Fillmore Gazette, Gonzalez was driving his 2007 black Ford F250 pickup truck south on B Street from Ventura Street at a high rate of speed when his vehicle drifted to the right side of the street and crashed into five, unoccupied parked vehicles. The pickup truck then came to rest in the middle of the street.

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies, who responded to the call, determined that Gonzalez's blood alcohol content exceeded the legal limit of 0.08 percent and booked him at county jail for DUI. No one was injured in this collision, the news report stated.

California's "implied consent" laws provide that if you are arrested for drunk driving, you have consented to chemical testing. If you refuse to submit to such testing, then your driving privilege can be suspended. The chemical test will normally consist of your choice of breath or blood analysis. A urine sample can also be taken.

The most commonly used method to determine someone’s blood alcohol level is breath analysis. The problem with breath machines is that California police agencies use different makes and models and they are all prone to a wide variety of problems. Mostly, they are neither reliable nor accurate. An experienced Ventura County DUI defense attorney will have the necessary expertise to determine how accurate the breath test was and to show a jury the machine's defects and inaccuracies. If you or a loved one has been charged with driving under the influence in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please contact Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff LLP at 866-299-4111 for a free consultation.

A 67-year-old Orange County resident has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement and identity theft, according to a news report in the Orange County Register. Joseph Anthony Veltre Jr., 67, was arrested by both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police detectives who say Veltre defrauded investors for seven years in a Ponzi scheme that involved fraudulent "second" trust deeds.

According to the article, after investors put in their money, Veltre would record fraudulent loans against their property and pay them returns with the proceeds. Police also say they suspect Veltre of other financial crimes. Apparently, he did business under several names including Allied Corporate Investments and Sea View Financial Centers with addresses in Tustin and Orange.

Fraud offenses in California such as this are considered "federal offenses." The consequences, if convicted, can be extremely serious. Each count could carry lengthy prison terms and hefty financial penalties. Besides, your reputation as a business person in your community could take a serious hit even with the accusation of fraud. You don't even have to be convicted of fraud to be ostracized from your business circles and community.

Please do not let this happen to you. Do not let the allegation of fraud ruin your life, your business prospects, your career and future. If you or a loved one has been accused of fraud, money laundering or other federal crimes in Orange, Los Angeles or Ventura counties, please contact the experienced California criminal defense lawyers at Takakjian, Sowers & Sitkoff by calling 866-299-4111 for a free consultation.