Possible DUI Charges And Punishment
Obtaining The Best DUI Defense Attorney
SONOMA DUI LAW CENTER
An Informational Guide to the Prosecution, Defense and Sentencing Practices in the Superior Court of Sonoma County, California
Annapolis – Bodega – Bodega Bay – Boyes Hot Springs – Camp Meeker – Cazadero – Cloverdale – Cotati – Duncans Mills – El Verano – Eldridge – Forestville – Freestone – Fulton – Geyserville – Glen Ellen – Graton – Gualala – Guerneville – Healdsburg – Jenner – Kenwood – Monte Rio – Occidental – Penngrove – Petaluma – Rio Nido – Rohnert Park – Santa Rosa – Sebastopol – Sheridan – Sonoma – Stewarts Point – The Sea Ranch – Valley Ford – Villa Grande – Vineburg – Windsor
Sonoma County Court
The District Attorney’s Office in Sonoma County is known for filing DUI charges even where breath or blood-alcohol test results are below the .08 percent or higher per se limit. Because persons may be deemed too impaired to safely operate a motor vehicle even after just a few drinks, it is deemed legal and ethical for a prosecutor to exercise this discretion. However, the discretion to file criminal charges does not necessarily equate to the reasonable likelihood of obtaining a conviction. Thus, Sonoma County prosecutors will often reduce a drunk driving charge to a lesser offense such as reckless driving.
The key to beating a DUI charge in Sonoma County---or at least getting a reduced offer on it---is to retain a lawyer who specializes in this field and frequently appears in Sonoma. Such a lawyer will know the ramifications of a DUI conviction and how the California DMV will treat a drunk driving conviction.
If you have one or more prior convictions for DUI or DWI (some states refer to it as "driving while impaired"), you want an attorney who is knowledgeable about the ways to attack prior convictions and the adequacy of out-of-state convictions.
The area of DUI defense has become increasingly technical over the years, and you want a lawyer who is up on the most recent developments in this field. Feel free to review the contents of this entire website for further information about DUI prosecution and defense in Sonoma County. You may wish to order a copy of California Drunk Driving Law, a two-volume treatise co-authored by two of California's most preeminent DUI defense lawyers (one of whom regularly appears in Sonoma County). You do not have to be an attorney to order this book---just go to www.jamespublishing.com/books/cddl.htm and they will overnight it to you for $129.00 plus S&H.
Sonoma County District Attorney
Sonoma State University Police
DMV - Information about Driver Safety Administrative Hearings
Court fines, fees, and assessments that may arise from a drunk driving conviction include vehicle towing and storage; booking, fingerprinting and photo; driver’s license reinstatement; car insurance increase; community service fee; DUI victims’ fund; alcohol abuse education fund; DUI classes; DUI victim’s impact sessions; and time payment charges.