The Palos Verdes Peninsula is an upscale community, located in LA County's South Bay region.  In between Long Beach and Redondo Beach, PV is also nearby Torrance, Hermosa Beach, San Pedro, Lomita, and Redondo Beach.  The PV Peninsula is made up of Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates.

The PV peninsula is known for its great schools and low crime.  The low crime rate is maintained by a significant police presence, and harsh prosecution of all criminal offenses.  With an abundance of law enforcement officers in a low-crime area, enforcement of traffic offenses and traffic misdemeanors (especially DUI) is a high priority for law enforcement in PV and other surrounding areas.  Other crimes include domestic violence, drug crimes, theft crimes and more.

Criminal cases from the Palos Verdes Peninsula are aggressively prosecuted by the LA County District Attorney's office, and criminal and traffic matters are heard at the Torrance Courthouse located at 825 Maple Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503.  Torrance Courthouse is notoriously tough on crime relative to the rest of LA County.  Even misdemeanor offenders can expect that the DA's office will seek jail time (up to a year for some offenses), and even first time offenders are sometimes sentenced to long terms in California state prison for certain felonies. 

If you or a loved one has been arrested and is facing criminal charges in the South Bay, you need a passionate, aggressive and knowledgeable criminal defense attorney on your side.  There are defenses to every criminal charge and there may be ways for you to avoid the negative consequences often associated with a criminal conviction.  Each case is different, and it is important to discuss your case openly and in detail with your lawyer.  If there are holes in the government's case (we always find some), your attorney can conduct investigation and expose the lack of evidence against you.  Contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar to schedule your free consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney.

SOME EXAMPLES OF PALOS VERDES CRIMINAL DEFENSE CASES:
1.  Jimmy works in Torrance in lives in Palos Verdes Estates.  One day after work, Jimmy goes to a local bar for happy hour with some co-workers before heading home.  Jimmy has 3 beers (strong IPAs) at the bar, finishing his last beer just minutes before he leaves the bar to drive home.  About a 15 minute drive from home, Jimmy starts driving back.  Jimmy is pulled over for speeding in Palos Verdes Estates, by a police officer on a motorcycle.  Upon approaching Jimmy's window, the officer smells alcohol and asks Jimmy to step out of the car, answer questions and then perform field sobriety tests.  Jimmy does pretty well on the tests and does admit to drinking a few beers at happy hour.  About 45 minutes after being stopped, the officer has Jimmy blow into a Preliminary Alcohol Screening ("PAS") device.  The PAS test yields a BAC reading of .08.  Jimmy is arrested for DUI and transported to the station, where he is again asked to blow into a breathalyzer.  This time, the BAC reading is .10.  Jimmy hires a skilled Los Angeles DUI Lawyer who is familiar with the rising BAC defense.  Although Jimmy tested above the legal limit, these tests indicate that Jimmy could very well have been below the legal limit at the time of driving.  The recent consumption of alcohol meant that the alcohol Jimmy drank had not yet absorbed into his blood, and was therefore not affecting his brain or his ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

2.  Timmy, a San Pedro resident, was fishing with a friend at Torrance Beach.  On the way back from the beach, they are stopped by LA Sheriff's deputies while passing through the PV Peninsula.  They are stopped because Timmy has dark window tint on his car.  The officer pulls up to the car and claims to smell the odor of marijuana.  The officers search the vehicle and find a bag of methamphetamine under the passenger seat.  Jimmy and his friend are both arrested for possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377).  Timmy hires a skilled LA Criminal Defense Lawyer who is well-versed in Fourth Amendment illegal search and seizure issues.  Timmy's lawyer can argue that the police lacked probable cause for a search, and made up the odor of marijuana in order to justify their search.  Timmy's lawyer can also argue that Timmy did not know about the methamphetamine, and that it could have belonged to the passenger without Timmy having ever seen it.

3.  Kimmy, a Rolling Hills Estates resident, was arrested and convicted of DUI two years ago.  She has since stopped drinking, but recently had surgery and has been prescribed pain medication.  Kimmy is stopped at a checkpoint in Torrance.  When the officers see that Kimmy has a prior DUI arrest and is currently on DUI probation, they immediately have her step out of the car and start to have her perform field sobriety tests.  Kimmy's surgery was to repair a ligament in her leg and she has not completely regained her ability to balance.  Kimmy is asked to blow into a breathalyzer, and blows a .00.  The officers ask Kimmy again if she'd taken any medication and she admits to taking the pain medications prescribed by her doctor.  Kimmy is arrested for DUI with a prior and now must appear at Torrance Courthouse to face misdemeanor charges with mandatory jail time.  She hires a skilled Los Angeles DUI Lawyer who discredits the field sobriety tests, the blood test and argues that Kimmy was not impaired while driving (no pattern of bad driving, because it was a checkpoint).  She is offered a "wet reckless" which does not carry jail time, but opts to take the case to trial anyway, and wins! No fines, no jail time, no loss of license.

Facing criminal charges is scary, aggravating and can have serious consequences.  In addition to jail or prison time, a criminal case could cost you your job/career, a professional license, driver's license, immigration status, gun rights and more.  Work closely with your lawyer to protect the rights and privileges most important to you.  Our firm has handled a wide range of serious criminal cases with fantastic results for clients.  Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Nicholas Loncar has helped clients avoid convictions, jail time, mandatory prison time, deportation, loss of professional licenses, loss of employment and more.  Call now to set up a free consultation with a passionate, aggressive criminal defense attorney who will work tirelessly to get you the outcome you need.