An 18-year old Thermal man driving a stolen vehicle led Desert Hot Springs police on a high speed chase for approximately 14 miles the other morning after a sheriff’s deputy saw him swerving and ignoring stop signs.
The chase stopped in Palm Springs when the driver lost a tire and sped through a DUI checkpoint into a dead end. The young man was arrested and taken to jail on suspicion of felony evading, grand theft auto, and possession of stolen property, drunk driving and driving without a license. His bail was set at $25,000.
When faced with criminal charges or an arrest, it is natural to feel scared and alone. If you have been charged with a crime, contact an experienced Riverside Criminal Law attorney for the defense options you deserve.
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\\ tags: alcohol, attorney, Desert Hot Springs Police, DUI checkpoint, felony evading, High speed chase, stolen vehicle, young driver
Here is another reason for motorists not to drink and drive. The Riverside County Sheriff’s department has decided to continue towing and impounding vehicles belonging to first-time unlicensed drivers that are stopped at DUI checkpoints.
For a time, there was a contract city policy authorizing Coachella police to allow first-time unlicensed drivers at DUI checkpoints to have someone pick up the vehicle before it was towed. This policy has been reversed.
California law since 1995 has allowed police to tow and impound vehicles for 30 days when driven by unlicensed, revoked or suspended drivers. For every day the vehicle is impounded, it accumulates fines and storage fees.
The policy change came after reports of law enforcement agencies all over the State of California implementing similar changes.
If you are stopped at a DUI checkpoint and your vehicle is impounded, contact an experienced Riverside County Criminal Law attorney who will investigate to see if the charges against you can be dropped – especially for a first time offense. This is a serious crime; you need someone who will fight for your rights.
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\\ tags: alcohol & drugs, attorney, Criminal Law, Drivers, DUI checkpoint, impound, Riverside County Sherrif's Dept., tow, vehicles
Recently Rancho Mirage and Coachella held DUI checkpoints throughout the cities; out of 500+ vehicles screened, two motorists were arrested on suspicion of DUI in Rancho Mirage, nine people were cited for license violations and eighteen field sobriety tests were conducted. All vehicles were impounded.
In Coachella, after screening 543 vehicles, only one motorist was arrested while 30 were ticketed for various license violations. Two vehicles were impounded.
I must remind my clients and friends that California has a Three Strikes Law where an individual who has committed an offense three times will face a felony conviction that is worse than a first-time offender. If you have been arrested more than once for a DUI, I suggest you contact a Riverside County Criminal Law Attorney who will advise you of your options and what you may be facing in the criminal court system.
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\\ tags: arrested, attorney, Coachella, Criminal Law, DUI checkpoint, field sobriety tests, license violations, motorists, Rancho Mirage, vehicle impound
As a reminder, the Labor Day weekend is upon us and California freeways are usually full with vehicles going out of town. I hope no one plans on drinking and driving. However, for those in the Coachella Valley, police will be holding a sobriety checkpoint on Friday and Saturday night at undisclosed locations.
Vehicles will be stopped between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. to check the driver’s sobriety and their license. The City of Coachella wants to reduce the number of injuries and death resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Drinking and driving is against the law. Not only can you hurt yourself, but you can hurt or kill someone else.
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\\ tags: alcohol & drugs, attorney, Coachella Valley, Criminal Law, Drivers, DUI checkpoint, Police, traffic violations
The Desert police are cracking down on drunk drivers. More and more checkpoints are being set up throughout the Palm Springs area on any given weekend. Last weekend, Indian Wells was the scene of the latest one. Over 1,300 vehicles passed through this checkpoint; one person was arrested.
The police stopped over 700 vehicles to screen them. The results included the arrest of one individual for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 16 arrests for drivers with a suspended license or no license at all, nine field sobriety tests were given and 17 vehicles were impounded.
We all know that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is unsafe for you, the driver, and all other people on the road around you. If you are one of the foolish ones who think you can get away with driving drunk, but were arrested in the process, I would suggest you contact an experienced Criminal Law Attorney as soon as possible. The penalties on this type of offense are high.
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\\ tags: attorney, Criminal Law, Drunk Driving, DUI checkpoint, field sobriety tests, Indian Wells
Lake Elsinore recently set up a drunken driving safety checkpoint at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Grand Avenue. Over fourteen hundred vehicles passed through it, 27 motorists were issued citations for vehicle code violations, 19 cars were impounded because the drivers did not have a valid license, and three men were arrested for drunken driving.
Over the past couple of years, nine people were killed and 13 injured in accidents involving drunken drivers in the Lake Elsinore area.
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\\ tags: attorney, California, citations, Criminal Law, Drunk Driving, DUI checkpoint, Lake Elsinore, vehicle code violations