Bay Area Criminal Defense Blog

When it comes to drinking and driving, bicyclists often pay the price when a driver is under the influence. However, it can be just as dangerous for cyclists to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs while taking to the public streets. For this reason, police will occasionally stop cyclists w...

Driving can be a stressful activity. Sometimes the frustration comes from traffic, in other cases, it comes from aggressive or rude drivers. Most of the time these kinds of encounters end with just a honk, or a raised finger with some choice words. However, in some cases these interactions escala...

For people who have never seen the inside of a jail, they think of prison as a place to house criminals, until they've served their sentence. However, the unfortunate truth is that law enforcement, the courts, and the state and local government are putting the mentally ill behind bars rather than...

After months of mystery break-ins across the west side of Alameda, the police have a suspect in custody. The most serious charge includes allegations of sexual assault on a 7-year-old girl when the suspect climbed in through the girl's window. After surveillance camera footage of the subject fro...

We previously reported on a Highway Trooper in Utah who was under investigation for reporting a failed field sobriety test in a DUI arrest, despite video footage showing that no such test was conducted. Now, two cases have come out of Louisville, Kentucky where police officers have been caught pr...

It may sound like the lead in to a terrible joke, but this headline is meant to illustrate that no one is immune from a DUI arrest. We've reported on politicians, law enforcement, and professional athletes getting arrested for driving under the influence. People of faith are no exception; and eve...

When you want to go out for some fun, and enjoy a few drinks with friends, you probably know that you should have a designated driver to make sure you get home safely. After all, a DUI conviction can mean serious fines, higher insurance rates, and even DUI school and counseling sessions. But some...

California law makes it illegal to engage in the act of prostitution. It is a criminal act for the person selling sex, the person buying sex, and even for person who acts as a middleman. It is unlawful for someone to even offer or agree to engage in prostitution. This is known as solicitation, an...

Labor Day may be a week away, but to police officers, the season for impaired driving is already here. Across California, the annual Labor Day weekend DUI crackdown started early, with police stepping up checkpoints and patrols as early as last weekend. So if you plan on enjoying a few drinks as ...

If you're out at a bar with your friends, enjoying the conversation with a couple of drinks, seeing a police officer approach your table may kill your buzz pretty fast. Police departments across California are adopting a new program that brings police officers into bars and entertainment district...

Every year, the California wildfire season seems to get worse. The Jerusalem fire near Napa is getting dangerously close to homes, and the Rocky fire has burned about 70,000 acres. California's four-year drought is partly to blame, with much of the landscape covered in dry kindling. But in some c...

Some high-profile incidents of sexual assaults on campus have made lawmakers and universities reconsider the policies on how to handle assault allegations. Now with the first day of classes starting for colleges and universities across the East Bay, students may be facing expulsion for sexual ass...

A conviction for a first-time DUI can mean jail time, thousands in fines and fees, an alcohol education program, and a 6-month license suspension. A second DUI within 10 years carries a minimum of of 4 days in jail and a longer DUI school program. After a third DUI, a driver may face a minimum of...

A felony conviction in California can have repercussions that last well beyond any prison sentence served. A felon may be prevented from ever owning a firearm. It may be difficult or impossible to pursue certain careers or professions. You may be prevented from serving on a jury or serving in the...

For many people arrested for a DUI, it is their first real experience with the criminal justice system. It can be a frightening and confusing experience, from arrest to chemical testing to arraignment. Many people are surprised to learn of the penalties from even a first-time DUI offense, which i...

When stopped by the police, some people have an instinct to run away. It could be because they may have drugs and don't want to get caught in possession. It could be because they have a warrant, and don't want to go to jail. In some cases, it could just be a panicked response to dealing with the ...

The law says that when the police put on their lights and sirens behind you, you have to pull over. If you try and evade the police in a properly marked car, exhibiting lights and sirens, and driven by a uniformed officer, you may be charged with a misdemeanor evading an officer. But what are you...

The National Football League (NFL) is no stranger when it comes to domestic violence. The professional football association has been plagued with incidents of alleged violence by players, and faced a backlash by what has been seen as a soft handed approach when it comes to penalties. Largely in r...

Despite the public concern over mass shootings in the United States, gun laws are slow to change, and gun sales have actually been on the rise. The recent shootings in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina have again raised concerns about the availability of guns, but only one sta...

After a weekend of fireworks, barbecues and for some an extra day off of work, the statistics are in. Before the Independence Day holiday, we reported that cops would be on the lookout for East Bay 4th of July DUIs. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has been implementing a Maximum Enforcement P...

Police brutality cases in California and across the country are nothing new. Especially with the increased availability of phones to record audio and video of law enforcement encounters, these events have an increased visibility with the public. With many of these claims now backed up by video ev...

In the 2002 film, Minority Report, a specialized police department would arrest criminals before any crime was committed based on psychic predictions. While we don't expect psychics to put an end to due process anytime soon, crime prediction technology is already here. The City of Oakland has eve...

The July 4th holiday celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. The holiday is often celebrated with picnics, barbecues, backyard parties, parades, and gathering at nightfall to watch fireworks light up the sky. With...

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the number of vehicle thefts in California declined for the second year in a row. However, the Bay Area, including Oakland and Hayward, still ranks among the top spots for vehicle theft. The five Bay Area counties of Alameda, Marin, San Francisco,...

If someone is convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in California, the driver may be facing up to 6 months in jail, fines of thousands of dollars, a suspended California driver license, DUI school, and may have to have an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in their car. This ...