A recent article about a third DUI charge caught the attention of our Anaheim drunk driving criminal defense attorneys. The Orange County Register reported Oct. 27 on the charges facing Tama Rae Tracy, 24, of Buena Park. Tracy is accused of causing two different hit and run accidents on Oct. 23 while driving under the influence. One of the accidents injured two unnamed bicyclists, who were hospitalized in critical condition at the time the story was published. Tracy was eventually caught, and now faces charges of felony DUI with injury, felony hit and run with injury, misdemeanor hit and run and driving on a suspended license. She has pleaded not guilty to all of those charges. Her two previous drunk driving convictions come from Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.
According to the article, witnesses called Huntington Beach police to report the first and more serious of the crashes in the afternoon of Oct. 23, a Saturday. They said a woman in a black Mercedes had hit the two bicyclists at Goldenwest and Pacific Coast Highway and continued without stopping. About five minutes later, more calls to police came in about a black Mercedes that hit an SUV at Goldenwest and Ellis Avenue. There were no injuries in that accident, but the Mercedes did not stop. Police attempted to pull over the Mercedes at Ellis and Beach Boulevard, but Tracy did not stop. It wasn't until she got stuck in traffic that police were able to catch up with her. When they did, they discovered that the windshield was cracked -- reportedly from the first crash -- and that Tracy was driving with an opened bottle of peach-flavored vodka in the car.
Anyone responsible for those accidents would be in serious legal trouble. But as Lakewood DUI criminal defense lawyers, we would like to point out that Tracy's past drunk driving convictions will almost certainly make this situation worse for her. A third DUI in California is not necessarily a felony, although the injuries Tracy reportedly caused make a felony charge more likely. Furthermore, when her case comes to trial, the jury may see her DUI record as a sign that she doesn't need a second (or fourth) chance. And, in light of her record, her judge may choose to sentence her more harshly than the same judge would sentence a first time offender. All of this shows just how important it is for drivers to keep intoxicated driving convictions off their records. You may think you should plead guilty just to "get it over with," but that guilty plea can follow you for at least a decade.
Even if you think the police have rock-solid evidence, you should still call Howard Law, P.C. for help if you've been charged with driving under the influence. Not all evidence is as solid as the police want defendants to believe. Field sobriety tests are notoriously unreliable as evidence, and blood-alcohol concentration tests can be incorrectly administered or maintained. Furthermore, officers can and do make mistakes or commit civil rights violations in their eagerness to "bust" drivers they believe are dangerous. Our Corona intoxicated driving criminal defense attorneys look through the arrest records and evidence against all of our clients to find flaws like these. When we find them, we can use them to undermine the cases against our clients, forcing prosecutors to drop or reduce the charges or reducing the penalties. We handle all types of DUI cases, including charges of driving under the influence of marijuana or other drugs as well as drunk driving.
If you're charged with DUI in California, you face a long list of penalties including loss of your driver's license, thousands in fines and maybe even jail. Don't plead guilty without calling Howard Law, P.C. for a free consultation. To set one up, call us today at 1-800-872-5925 or send us a message through our website.
