Our Dana Point drunk driving criminal defense attorneys were not at all surprised to see that OC law enforcement plans to step up its patrols for St. Patrick's Day. The OC Weekly reported March 17 that the Orange County Sheriff's Department plans "saturation patrols," which are large numbers of officers patrolling a relatively small, targeted area. The location or locations of the patrols were not mentioned. The patrols are a project of the OC Sheriff's Department DUI Task Force. Police agencies around the region are planning similar patrols or DUI checkpoints, in response to the spike in drunk driving that typically takes place on St. Patrick's Day.
The OC Weekly cited federal statistics saying that on St. Patrick's Day in 2008, 37% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. That's the cutoff for a "per se" violation of California drunk driving laws. Officers told the newspaper that driving drunk "isn't worth the risk." In support of that idea, the article mentioned the case of Richard Ernest Caselli, 37, of Ladera Ranch. Caselli is accused of killing Brook Boynton, 51, while driving drunk last October. Caselli is accused of speeding in excess of 100 mph before losing control and hitting Boynton's SUV. Boynton was thrown from the overturning vehicle and sustained fatal injuries. Caselli is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, which carries up to 10 years in prison. He will be arraigned Friday.
As Fullerton DUI criminal defense lawyers, we'd like to add that the accident doesn't have to be fatal to have severe, negative effects on your life. A first-time intoxicated driving offense in Orange County, with no injury or death, means an arrest and at least a short time in jail; almost immediate loss of your driver's license; and skyrocketing auto insurance rates. If you are convicted, you face jail time or probation, hundreds of dollars in fines and court costs, alcohol education classes and sometimes community service. Experts say the financial cost can easily exceed $5,000, and that isn't counting any problems at work from not having a driver's license. All of this means that if you've been arrested for driving drunk, you need an experienced attorney by your side.
Howard Law, P.C. represents clients throughout California who are charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both. Many clients come to us thinking that they need help working out a plea agreement, because there's no way for them to fight the charges against them. Our Corona drunk driving criminal defense lawyers can sometimes pleasantly surprise these people by finding mistakes or serious flaws in the cases against them. For example, many cases rely on BAC test results -- but law enforcement can make mistakes with these tests. If the test was improperly administered or handled, or the initial traffic stop was illegal, that evidence may be thrown out of court.
If you're charged with intoxicated driving or a related crime, or a DMV license suspension, don't hesitate to call Howard Law, P.C. for help. To set up a free consultation, please contact us through the Internet or call 1-800-872-5925 toll-free.
