Northridge Criminal Defense Attorney and DUI Lawyer

NORTHRIDGE CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND NORTHRIDGE DUI LAWYER
Northridge, CA is located in the northwestern portion of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.  Home to Cal State - Northridge (CSUN), Northridge has a large college student population.  Neighboring towns/neighborhoods include Reseda, Chatsworth, North Hills, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, Winnetka and Van Nuys.  Northridge is an affluent community, with low population density, high average income and low crime for Los Angeles and Los Angeles County.

Cal State Northridge (CSUN) is the third largest university in the State of California.  With over 30,000 undergraduate students and thousands more in graduate and post-graduate programs, CSUN certainly leaves its mark on Northridge, a town with a total population of just over 60,000 residents.  Some of the college students are counted in that number, others are not.  Despite low crime rates, the large percentage of college-aged residents leads to crimes involving drugs and alcohol, including DUI, Drug Crimes (sales and possession), DUI-Drugs, and sex crimes.  Theft crimes, domestic violence, and other crimes are also prevalent.  

The LAPD is responsible for law enforcement in Northridge.  Criminal cases are heard at the San Fernando and Van Nuys Courthouses, where the LA City Attorney's Office prosecutes misdemeanors and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office prosecutes felonies.  Both units aggressively pursue conviction, with particular emphasis on DUI and domestic violence cases.  

If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in Northridge, it is important to have the best Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney on your side, fighting for you.  You may have defenses, and your rights may have been violated.  A skilled, passionate, top LA defense lawyer can help assert your rights and defenses, getting you a dismissal, trial win or best outcome possible in your case.  Contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar now for a free consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney and DUI Lawyer.  888.200.9454

EXAMPLE OF A NORTHRIDGE CRIMINAL CASE:
Ben, Jared and Will, three 21 year old CSUN students have a party at their off-campus apartment in Northridge.  It is a Friday night, and they invite many of their friends, who also invite more people.  The party ends up pretty big, with over a hundred people coming through the party at some point in the night.  There are underage students drinking alcohol, loud music, marijuana and cocaine use.  After several noise complaints, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) comes out to break up the party.  The front door to the apartment is closed, but not locked, with about 20-30 party guests remaining inside the apartment.  The officers knock on the door, still hearing the music and smelling the odor of burnt marijuana.  A few seconds after knocking, one of the officers opens the door and enters.  About half of the party guests run out the back patio door, Ben is upstairs in his room, and Jared and Will are in the kitchen fetching drinks when the officers enter.  Will dumps a bag of cocaine down the sink and turns the water on in front of the officers.  With no evidence but the wet plastic bag, the officers sit Will and Jared down on the couch, allow other guests to leave and begin to question Will and Jared about what happened.  After the officer tells the two guys that he will not arrest them if they tell him the truth, Will admits to dumping cocaine down the sink.  At the same time, the other officer does a sweep of the apartment and finds Ben in his room, with a prescription bottle of Xanax on his dresser.  The name on the prescription bottle is James, and is not made out to Ben.  Ben and Will are both arrested for possession of a controlled substance (HS 11350).  Ben and Will are the read their rights and questions.  Ben admits to illegally possessing the Xanax, and to distributing it to friends.  Will invokes his right to remain silent, leaving only his prior statement (pre-Miranda warning).

Ben and Will each hire Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys to represent them in their cases.  Upon getting a drug conviction, both students would become ineligible for federal student aid and would not be able to afford to continue their education.  Both attorneys file motions to suppress the evidence pursuant to PC 1538.5.  While motions to suppress are often difficult to win, the officers were sloppy in this case, and careless with the young men's important Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.  Will's attorney moves to suppress the plastic bag with cocaine residue and Will's statements to the officers.  Even if Will's lawyer loses the 1538.5 motion based on Will's Fourth Amendment rights, he can file a motion later to exclude only the statements due to the violation of his client's Miranda rights.  Ben's lawyer also challenges the search, arguing that the officers were not invited into the home and that the loud music and marijuana odor were not "exigent circumstances" that would permit their circumvention of the warrant requirement to search a home.  Ben's statements were made after he was read his rights, so if Ben does not win his motion to suppress, he will not be able to suppress the statements later.

Being arrested and charged with a crime is a scary and unfamiliar situation for most.  You are likely unsure of what to expect in court and afraid that you might end up in jail, losing your driver's license, losing your job, or possibly the immigration consequence of a possible criminal conviction.  Talk to a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney.  There is no obligation and consultations are free of charge.  Contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar now for a free consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer.  888-200-9454

Nicholas M. Loncar, Esq.
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
t. 818-646-8788 | f. 818-646-8772
TOLL FREE: 888.200.9454
MOBILE: 323-803-4352
www.iDefendLosAngeles.com

Published By: Nicholas Loncar | Written by Nicholas Loncar

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