After a not guilty plea is entered to the DUI charges at arraignment, the court will schedule your case for a Pretrial Conference. The first Pretrial Conference usually occurs anywhere from four to eight weeks after the arraignment. San Francisco Bay Area counties may use different terms for what they call this hearing, but the form and substance is basically the same.
The Law Office of Nors Davidson
Friday, February 23, 2024
The San Francisco DUI Pretrial Conference
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
San Francisco DUI Arraignment
Your First DUI Court Appearance
Individuals arrested for a first offense misdemeanor DUI are almost always released from custody after they’ve sobered up, usually the following morning. If the DUI arrest is for a multiple DUI or a felony, a bail bond may be required to secure release from jail. Otherwise, the DUI offender is released on their Promise to Appear in court. The written Promise to Appear can take many forms but it typically is a citation that directs the individual to appear at a specific court location on a given time and date. This first court appearance is called an Arraignment.
The purpose of the arraignment is to advise the defendant in a criminal case of the charges that have been filed against them and for the judge then take the defendant’s plea. In almost all DUI cases, that plea should be Not Guilty. After entry of plea, the judge will then schedule a secondary court hearing usually called a Pretrial Conference. Also addressed at the arraignment will be any pretrial release orders or conditions. Pretrial release conditions include orders to abstain from alcohol use, an order to attend Alcoholics Anonymous or AA meetings, pretrial ankle monitors like SCRAM, etc. The judge can also order the defendant remanded into jail custody, but this is reserved for the most serious DUI offenses, like felonies or multiple DUI’s. Otherwise the DUI arraignment is a rather non eventful court hearing.
San Francisco Bay Area DUI defendants who are represented by privately retained counsel are not required to personally appear for their arraignment and can authorize their lawyer to appear on their behalf pursuant to California Penal Code Section 977. Since the facts of the defendants DUI case are usually unknown at the time of arraignment, it’s not advisable for a DUI defendant to appear for this hearing. If a DUI defendant does not have a lawyer, they must personally appear for this hearing or a warrant will be issued for their arrest.
The typical DUI arraignment is scheduled anywhere from four to eight weeks after the date of the DUI arrest. The local district attorneys office is supposed to review the arrest report, chemical test results and any other supplemental evidence and file a formal Complaint outlining the charges against the defendant before the arraignment hearing. This does not always happen and the district attorney has up to one year from the date of the DUI arrest to file charges before the statute of limitations will run in a misdemeanor DUI. That said, it’s possible that a DUI defendant’s arraignment hearing will be continued without notice to some future date within this window. This is particularly true in Contra Costa County where it is standard to hold the DUI arraignment around ten months after the date of arrest. Either way, if the DUI defendant or attorney fails to appear for the arraignment, the judge will issue a bench warrant for the defendants arrest.
If the DUI arrest was for a felony DUI, the defendant will be required to appear for the arraignment. While it's important to have a DUI lawyer retained before any arraignment, it's particularly true for a felony DUI. Even a first offense DUI that's been charged as a felony can result in the defendant being sent to jail so having an experienced DUI attorney on your side can make the difference between a non jail and a custodial DUI sentence.
If you or someone you know has been charged with a California DUI, then call San Francisco DUI attorney Nors Davidson today for a free consultation (415) 601-4140 or visit
www.sanfranciscoduicrimedefense.com
Monday, February 19, 2024
San Francisco DUI Excessive Speed Enhancement
The most punitive San Francisco DUI sentencing enhancement is for driving under the influence cases where the individual is alleged to have driven a vehicle above the the posted speed limit by more than 20 MPH on a road or 30 MPH on a freeway. The DUI speed enhancement mandates an actual county jail sentence of sixty (60) days in the County Jail. California Vehicle Code Section 23582 reads:
Sunday, February 18, 2024
The Dreaded San Francisco Bay Area Third Offense DUI
Other than the most serious felony DUI cases, San Francisco Bay Area third offense DUI cases are the most challenging for both the DUI lawyer and the client. A third offense DUI in California is defined as two DUI offenses which both occurred within ten (10) years of an original DUI pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) or (b), OR a conviction pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 23103 sentenced under Vehicle Code Section 23103.5, commonly known as a "wet reckless." Third offense DUI's require incredible persistence for a DUI lawyer to keep his or her client out of a long jail sentence and for this reason many DUI law firm mill type office won't even accept them. I am not one of those DUI lawyers so I'm grateful that these cases truly have been rare in my twenty years of practice.
Friday, February 16, 2024
San Francisco Bay Area Second Offense DUI's
Thursday, February 15, 2024
What is a "Refusal" in California DUI Law?
The Temporary License: The Pink Paper You Get After a San Francisco DUI Arrest
If you've been arrested for a DUI in California, one of the first things you'll notice is that the officers have taken your driver's license and you now have a carbon copy "pink" paper. The "pink" paper is actually a number of things. First of all, this is now your "Temporary" Driver's License and is supposed to be valid for thirty (30) days. This does not grant you driving privileges if you did not have a license at the time of your DUI arrest. Basically, whatever you had before the arrest will remain in effect for thirty days. The pink paper is also a very important notice which advises that you have ten (10) days from the date of service of the Temporary License to contact the DMV and request a hearing to fight the DMV license suspension. If you (or your lawyer) fail to request a hearing, your license will automatically suspend once your Temporary License expires (30 days).