Palmdale Criminal Defense Lawyer

PALMDALE CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AND DUI LAWYER
Palmdale, CA is a city in Northern Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley.  Along with nearby Lancaster, Palmdale is separated from Los Angeles by the San Gabriel Mountain Range.  A desert region, the Antelope Valley is hot and dry in the summer and colder than LA in winter.  Palmdale has just over 150,000 residents, making it the sixth largest city in LA County.  Palmdale (and Lancaster) are connected to Los Angeles by the 14 Freeway.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement services in Palmdale with the Palmdale Station, the largest sheriff's station in LA County (and the LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the nation).  The California Highway Patrol aggressively patrols the 14 Freeway, citing drivers for traffic violations, DUI, drug crimes and more.  Criminal and traffic matters stemming from incidents in Palmdale proceed to the Antelope Valley Courthouse, located in nearby Lancaster, CA.  The Lancaster courthouse sees a wide variety of cases, ranging from simple traffic matters to homicide and other serious felonies.  DUI and Domestic Violence cases are prosecuted very harshly by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office.  In addition to DUI and Domestic Violence, drug crimes (sales, transportation and possession), vandalism, theft crimes (petty theft, burglary, robbery), violent crimes (assault, murder, assault with a deadly weapon, etc.), sex crimes (rape, statutory rape, sexual battery, child molestation, child pornography), gang offenses, strike offenses, and more.

If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita or anywhere in Los Angeles, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar for a free consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer.  Arrests and charges do not have to mean a criminal conviction.  You might have strong defenses, constitutional rights and the case against you might not be strong enough to get a conviction at trial.  We can discuss the facts of your case and evaluate the evidence and defenses you have.  A good LA defense attorney will carefully explain the process and all possible and likely outcomes, as well as a detailed explanation of how your case can be handled to produce the best possible result for you.

EXAMPLE OF A PALMDALE CRIMINAL CASE:
Jeff, a Palmdale resident is driving home from Los Angeles on the SR-14 Freeway.  Jeff has two pounds of marijuana and two ounces of "wax", a marijuana concentrate in his trunk.  Jeff is not a medical marijuana patient, and is being extra careful not to break any traffic laws.  He has his cruise control set to 68 MPH and is careful to maintain his lane and keep a safe distance from other cars.  At some point, Jeff's car, a recent model BMW draws the attention of a CHP officer.  The officer follows Jeff for approximately two miles before activating his lights to pull Jeff over.

Upon walking up to Jeff's window, the officer asks Jeff if he knows why he is being pulled over.  Jeff replies "beats me" and denies any traffic or criminal violation.  The officer asks Jeff if he has anything illegal in the car and asks Jeff if he can search the car.  Wisely, Jeff refuses the search.  The officer sees a moderate sum of cash (approximately $800-$900) sitting on Jeff's passenger side seat.  The officer asks Jeff about the money, and Jeff said that the money is for his half of the rent at his apartment.  Still suspicious, the officer calls the CHP station to have a K-9 unit brought to the scene to sniff the car for contraband.

After 35-40 minutes, the K-9 unit arrives and the dog signals to the officer the presence of a controlled substance near the rear of the vehicle.  The officer then proceeds to open the trunk, uncovering the marijuana.  Jeff is placed under arrest, read his Miranda rights and placed into the back of a police car.  He is later charged with violating HS 11359, a felony, and has court in Lancaster.  Jeff bails out of jail and hires a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney to defend him in this important case.

Jeff's criminal defense lawyer has substantial experience writing and arguing PC 1538.5 motions to suppress evidence due to unlawful searches.  The lawyer reviews the police report, noting that the officer's report indicates a stop because Jeff's passenger side tire crossed over into another lane.  Upon reviewing the MVARS (video from the police car), it is clear that Jeff's car only touched the inside of one line, momentarily, and did not cross over.  Per United States v. Colin, a landmark case for traffic stops, this was a bad stop.  The lawyer writes and argues a motion to suppress all of the evidence.  The motion is hear along with Jeff's preliminary hearing.  Jeff wins his motion to suppress and the evidence is excluded.  Without evidence, the charges get dismissed!  Jeff gets to keep his criminal record clean and avoids a felony conviction, jail or prison time, probation, and does not have to pay any fines to the court.  The officers violated Jeff's rights by pulling him over without justification.  They further violated his rights by detaining him for longer than a reasonable time to have the K-9 unit brought out.

If you have been charged with a crime or arrested for DUI, a drug crime, domestic violence, theft crime, violent crime or other crime in Lancaster, Palmdale or anywhere in LA, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Loncar for a free consultation with a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney.  Being arrested and charged with a crime is scary and you are most likely unsure of what to expect at court.  Having a skilled, passionate Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney on your side is essential.  FREE CONSULTATIONS. 

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

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