Lancaster, CA is one of the fastest growing cities in Los Angeles County, and all of California.  In the 1970s, the town had just over 30,000 residents, and has now boomed to a population of over 150,000.  Located approximately an hour north of Downtown Los Angeles, in the Antelope Valley, Lancaster is located in the Western Mojave Dessert, and has a hot, dry climate compared with much of LA County.  Along with Palmdale, Lancaster is pretty isolated as the only highly populated areas of the Antelope Valley.

Lancaster does not have its own police department.  The LA County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement services to Lancaster.  Criminal and traffic matters in Lancaster are heard at the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster.  Criminal charges in Lancaster vary in severity and it type, with drug crimes, DUI, domestic violence and theft crimes being the most common.  True to its reputation, Lancaster does have a significant number of methamphetamine cases.  From simple possession, up to sale, transportation and manufacture, "meth" has a strong presence in the Antelope Valley.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office is very aggressive with its prosecution of DUI, second DUI, and Domestic Violence cases.  Lancaster has tough judges and tough juries as well.  Having the best representation you can get is imperative to getting a good outcome in your case.  Whether you are guilty or have been wrongfully accused, you need a powerful Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney or DUI Lawyer to fight for you and assert your rights.  Whether avoiding jail time, immigration consequences or avoiding a misdemeanor or felony conviction, your goals should be your lawyer's top priority.  The Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar provide Lancaster and Antelope Valley clients with passionate, skilled legal services at a fair and reasonable price.

If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in Lancaster, or anywhere else in LA County, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar for a free consultation with a Lancaster Criminal Defense Attorney or DUI Lawyer.  We can go over your arrest and the charges you may be facing.  Being arrested is scary, but knowing and understanding the court process, the likely outcomes and the steps being taken to protect you help you feel at ease, knowing your case is in the hands of a great attorney. 

EXAMPLE:
Tim is driving home to Lancaster from a bar in Palmdale.  Tim had been drinking beer while watching a football game.  In all, he had three beers, including chugging his last beer right as he left the bar and got in the car to drive.  Ten minutes later, and a few blocks from his house, Tim comes across a LA County Sheriff's DUI checkpoint on Avenue J.  When Tim rolls his window down, the officer can smell the beer on his breath and asks Tim whether he had been drinking, and when.  Tim tells the officer he had two beers, while watching the game less than an hour ago.  Wisely, Tim exercises his rights not to perform any of the field sobriety tests that the officers request of him.  The field sobriety tests are difficult to perform, and nerves, fear, medical conditions and many other factors can interfere with "passing" field sobriety tests, even if sober.  Tim also had a right to refuse the Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) test, a handheld breathalyzer, used by law enforcement at the scene to determine whether someone is DUI.  Tim does submit to the test, and the two readings register .080 and .085, several minutes apart.

Tim is arrested for DUI and transported to the station for booking.  Tim is then asked to provide a breath sample into the breath testing device at the station, now an hour after driving.  Tim's two breath samples measure .105 and .112.  Upon patting Tim down to put him in a cell, the Sheriff's deputy finds a small bag containing methamphetamine.  Tim can now be charged with HS 11377 (possession of a controlled substance - to wit Methamphetamine) or PC 4573 (bringing contraband into a jail).

The District Attorney charges Tim with both a misdemeanor DUI (VC 23152(a) and VC 23152(b)) and a felony for bringing methamphetamine into a jail.  Despite the serious charges, Tim's Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney has a lot to work with in this case.  With respect to the DUI, the government must prove that Tim was above .08 at the time of driving.  Tim's Los Angeles DUI Lawyer will assert the rising BAC defense, and show that Tim was still absorbing alcohol at the time he was driving.  Only after time passed was he over the legal limit.  Regarding the PC 4573 charge, Tim has a strong knowledge defense.  He was not planning to be arrested, and once he was, the only way he could have stopped himself from committing the offense was to give up his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and he was not asked about whether he had any contraband on his way into jail.  He did not have to volunteer anything.  The felony charge could very well be dismissed at the preliminary hearing, or by a PC 995 motion to dismiss, and the DUI may be won at trial or reduced to a reckless driving through negotiation.

If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in Lancaster, Palmdale or anywhere else in LA County, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar to discuss your case with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney and DUI Lawyer.  Consultations are free and can really help you understand what is going on in your criminal case.

Nicholas M. Loncar, Esq. 
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
t: 213-375-3775 | f: 213-375-3099
Mobile: 323-803-4352 
[email protected]
1200 Wilshire Blvd | Suite 406
Los Angeles, CA | 90017
www.iDefendLosAngeles.com

Published By: Nicholas Loncar | Written by Nicholas Loncar