El Segundo Criminal Defense Attorney

El Segundo Criminal Defense Attorney and DUI Lawyer

El Segundo, CA is a small beach town in LA's South Bay region.  Located right by LAX International Airport and is located in between Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Venice, Westchester, Lennox, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Lawndale and Del Aire.  El Segundo has a small stretch of beach, a small residential population, as well as a large industrial and commercial office space presence.  With the proximity to the airport and shipping ports, the area is attractive to many large corporations, including those is the defense and aerospace industries.

With a residential population of only 17,000, El Segundo is in some ways a quaint place to live.  With the many people who work in El Segundo or drive through to go to LAX, Manhattan Beach and other locations, there is a lot going on.  DUI arrests, in particular, are pretty common in El Segundo and other nearby areas.  Drug crimes and domestic violence cases are also not uncommon.  The El Segundo Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the area, and criminal cases are prosecuted by the LA County District Attorney's office in the Airport Courthouse and Torrance Courthouse.

Criminal prosecutions are aggressive and can carry severe consequences.  If you or a loved one has been arrested and is facing criminal charges stemming from an El Segundo arrest, it is best to have a passionate, aggressive and experienced criminal defense attorney on your side.  Our office has handled a wide range of criminal cases with a successful track record of obtaining great results for happy criminal defense clients.

EXAMPLES OF EL SEGUNDO CRIMINAL DEFENSE CASES:
1.  John works in an office building in El Segundo and goes to happy hour with co-workers every other Friday.  One Friday, he has 3 beers over the course of two hours, including chugging one just before leaving the bar.  John goes through a red light a little late and is pulled over by El Segundo PD.  The officer smells alcohol on John's breath and asks him to step out of the vehicle and calls for a more experienced officer to come out to assist with the DUI investigation.  After about 15 minutes, the second officer arrives and begins to ask John a series of questions about when he drank, ate, slept and more.  In addition, the officer asks John to submit to a range of field sobriety tests.  After the FSTs, the officer asks John to blow into a handheld breathalyzer called a Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) device.  The machine registers a .09 reading, above the legal limit.  John is arrested for DUI and brought to the station, where he submits to a breath test, with a reading of .11.  John's best defenses in this case is called the Rising BAC defense.  The government must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant's BAC was above the legal limit at the time of driving.  The testing, having been performed after the driving concluded, means that it might not be accurate to the time of driving.  Due to the pattern in John's two tests and the fact that he consumed his second beer shortly before getting behind the wheel, it is likely that his third beer had not yet absorbed into his blood stream at the time of driving.  While John was waiting for the other officer to arrive, answering questions and performing field sobriety tests, his BAC continued to rise.  Had he been tested right away, he would likely have been below the legal limit.  He can assert this defense at trial or use it as leverage to get his DUI charge reduced to wet reckless.

2.  Eric, an El Segundo resident, was convicted of DUI a few months ago.  He was ordered to complete the AB 541 first time offender DUI program, but never enrolled.  His license was suspended and a bench warrant was issued for his failure to enroll on time.  Eric is pulled over for speeding on the 405 by California Highway Patrol.  The officer sees that Eric's license is suspended and Eric is arrested for driving on a suspended license (VC 14601.1 and VC 14601.2).  His car is impounded and he is transported to the station for booking.  Additionally, Eric has a small, nearly empty bag of cocaine in his shirt pocket.  He does not mention the cocaine to the booking officer, and it is later discovered when he is searched.  Now, Eric is facing misdemeanor charges for the driving on a suspended license, probation violations in his DUI case and a felony charge for bringing contraband into a jail.  Eric hires a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney to represent him in these cases.  The lawyer sets the case for the preliminary hearing, where the felony charge is dismissed because the amount of cocaine possessed was too small to be tested by the lab.  With only misdemeanor charges and probation violations remaining, Eric's lawyer gets a continuance and buys Eric some time to reinstate his driving privilege.  Eric gets his driver's license reinstated and the prosecutor agrees to a deal not involving jail time.

3.  Jenny is prescribed Xanax for her anxiety.  She never takes more than her prescribed dose and feels that her medication does not impair her ability to drive safely.  She is careful not to mix the pills with alcohol and is generally a good driver.  One night she is pulled over for swerving on her way home from dinner.  She has not had anything to drink, but was texting a friend, explaining the driving pattern.  The officer asks Jenny to step out of the car and begins to ask her a series of questions.  Jenny admits to taking Xanax, being sure to tell the officer she has a prescription.  She shows the officer the pill that she has in her pocket, but she does not have her prescription with her.  The officer has Jenny perform some field sobriety tests, but Jenny complains that she cannot do what she is asked to do due to a recent surgery to repair a ligament in her ankle.  The officer places Jenny under arrest for DUI and possession of Xanax without a prescription.  Jenny hires a Los Angeles DUI lawyer who gets to work right away fighting for her.  Her attorney gets the cell phone records to show that Jenny was texting at the time of the pullover, gets a copy of the valid prescription and reaches out to the prosecuting agency about the case.  After about a month, the prosecuting agency agrees not to file charges, rejecting the case.  Not only is Jenny not convicted of DUI, but there is no court record.  Her driving privilege will not be affected, and she will not even end up getting a ticket for texting while driving.

4.  Kristina and her boyfriend Rob live together in El Segundo.  They frequently argue, but have never had a physical altercation.  One night, during a heated argument, Kristina breaks a glass on the floor.  Neighbors call police about the yelling and broken glass.  Before the police arrive, Rob cuts his hand pretty bad on the glass and runs to his car to go to the hospital.  When the police arrive, they see the blood and Kristina there, but Rob is not there.  The officers ask Kristina what happened, and she tells them that she broke a glass and that Rob got cut cleaning it up.  Kristina is arrested, but the prosecution does not file charges after reviewing the police report.  Kristina is released after spending two days in jail, but still has an arrest on her record.  She hires a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer to help clean up her record with a factual innocence petition to try to get her arrest record sealed and destroyed.  The law enforcement agency contests the request, and the matter must proceed to court.  At the hearing, Rob testifies that he cut himself, and the treating doctor is called to testify as well.  It is clear to the judge that the injuries the police thought they saw were not intentionally caused by acts of violence and the petition is granted.

Criminal charges can have very serious consequences for defendants.  Beyond jail or prison time, a criminal conviction, especially a felony, can affect your job, gun rights, immigration status, professional license, and driving privilege.  Virtually all criminal charges have some defenses, and sometimes weaknesses in the government's case or mitigating factors about the defendant can lead to a better outcome.  Whatever stage your case is in (investigation, first court date, trial, post-conviction, etc.), it is important to have someone who understands the criminal process and knows how to navigate the process to work out the best outcome.  If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges in Los Angeles, contact our office for a Free Consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney.  We can discuss your case, defenses, possible and probable outcomes and get started on your defense strategy.  Our office also handles expungements, petitions to seal and destroy arrest records, certificates of rehabilitation and more.

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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

IMPORTANT LINKS:
LA Sheriff's Inmate Locator 
Los Angeles Superior Court - Airport Courthouse
El Segundo Police Department
Los Angeles Felony Bail Schedule
Los Angeles Misdemeanor Bail Schedule