Unlawful Police Stop
I've been handling DUI cases in the Pasadena courthouse for 26 years. I've handled thousands of DUI cases over a very long career. I have worked for the District Attorney's office as a Superior Court Judge in the Burbank Superior Court and have been the guiding force behind the Hedding Law Firm now since 1994. So, I know what it takes to defend a DUI case.
First, we look to see if there was an illegal stop or some illegal activity by the police before even getting your blood alcohol level, either by breath or blood alcohol level, either by breath or blood.
If we can show that they illegally stopped you or searched you, or even if you weren't driving the car when they pulled you over and can't prove when you were going, we start to have the makings of a DUI defense.
Not all cases have these excellent factors in them, though. Often, the police have pulled you over lawfully for some moving violation — or at least they're claiming it.
Hopefully, there's the video if there's any dispute about it, but if there's not, it will be your word against their word.
So, you came to the right place if they have lawfully pulled you over, and you've got an appearance in the Pasadena courthouse, you went to the right place.
Preparing a Strategy to Fight Your DUI Case
Pick up the phone immediately. Set up a meeting with me. Well, go over everything and get a strategy together. This is serious stuff. Driving under the influence is a crime.
It can affect your criminal record and driving record, and obviously, they can give you a punishment that can cause you to allow issues, primarily if you work, you have a family, and you have things to take care of.
Then, of course, nobody wants to go to jail, especially with the Coronavirus.
So, you've come to the right website. Review everything on here. I've got some good videos, but there's no substitute for meeting with a skilled attorney who's been down the path you're about to travel.
An attorney who has had success has the mentality to do it once if you have to, do it right and never do it again.
In Pasadena, the police sometimes can overreach. Sometimes they set up checkpoints. Sometimes they pull you over unlawfully.
Seeking a Lesser Charge than DUI
If we can't get the case dismissed or thrown out because they illegally stopped you, we need to get you a lesser charge than a DUI.
If we can't do that because your blood alcohol level is too high or you have prior DUIs on your record, we will try to keep you out of jail and do what I would characterize as damage control.
Not every Pasadena DUI case is handled the same. We've got to look at you, the facts and circumstances of your case, and really what the prosecutors will be looking at is how dangerous they perceive you were on the road, and that's listening and looking at what the police have to say.
Factors in a Driving Under the Influence Case
The police are going to write up a police report. It will lay out how they believe you did on the field sobriety test. How well you are driving, how you were talking, how you were walking, and a host of other factors they're evaluating even before pulling you over.
They're looking to see if you're swerving on the road, and they're looking to see where you're coming from.
Sometimes people come from a bar or a club, and the police take that into account when they pull them over, even though that should not be the only reason they pull them over. They need some moving violation to get that pull over.
So, we take each case independently so we know exactly what we are up against and make the right moves at the right time. So, I encourage you to set up a free face-to-face consultation with me.
We'll go over your case, get your strategy together, and do everything we possibly can to help you if you're charged with a DUI, having been pulled over, arrested, and cited out of the Pasadena area.