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Month: July 2012

Rapper Arrested For DUI. Now What?

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“Krayzie Bone,” a member of the famous Bone Thugs-n-Harmony group, was arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of DUI in the West Valley. A spokeswoman for the LAPD stated that he was pulled over and failed a sobriety test at approximately 12:40 a.m. and transported to the Van Nuys jail.

Just another example of how even celebrities are not immune from the law. The question to you, the reader, might be, “now what happens?”.

Well, if “Krayzie Bone” were to hire Attorney Ross Erlich, Mr. Erlich would first contact the DMV Driver’s Safety Offices to set up an Administrative Per Se hearing and delay the automatic suspension the DMV seeks to enforce 30 days after an arrest. It is important to note that either you or your attorney must contact the DMV within 10 days of arrest or your license will be suspended automatically, without any hearing whatsoever.

Second, Attorney Ross Erlich would contact the City Attorney to see if any charges have been filed and if not, seek to speak with the Deputy City Attorney in charge of making the filing decisions and attempt to prevent any charges from being filed in the first place.

Now, assuming that charges have been filed or that the City Attorney is not willing to reject the case, the next step would be to appear on the first court date, collect all the police reports, any witness statements, police officer observations and go over all of that with the client. This is one of the most crucial steps in any DUI case. This is when we see what the Blood Alcohol Level was, what tests were taken, the police officer’s notes on the field sobriety tests, any statements that were made, whether or not the police officers followed proper protocol in pulling the car over, observing the driver, waiting the proper amount of time before starting any tests. All of these factors DO matter and any one which is not done correctly can open the door to a dismissal or reduction of the charges.

What is also important to consider is Attorney Ross Erlich’s personal relationships with the City Attorney’s and District Attorney’s who may be prosecuting your case. Because Attorney Ross Erlich has handled a large volume of DUIs, he has developed personal relationships with the prosecutors that, a lot of the time, can make a big impact on a client’s case.

If you have been arrested for DUI in Beverly Hills, the Metro (Metropolitan) Court, in Mid City Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles or on the Westside, contact Attorney Ross Erlich at (323) 222-4529.

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Donna Jou’s Killer Makes First Appearance

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John Steven Burgess, the sex offender who was convicted in the death of a San Diego State University nursing student, entered a not guilty plea Wednesday to charges that include violating parole and being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition.

Burgess pleaded guilty in 2009 to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jou and was sentenced to five years in state prison. Due to good time credits, Burgess was release last December after serving approximately half of his five year sentence.

When a person is released early from prison, they are released on parole. Parole is, essentially, an extension of prison that allows a convicted felon to live and work in the community under supervision from the Department of Corrections. This supervision typically depends on what a parolee’s conviction was for, but can include regular reporting to a parole officer, drug testing, drug offender registration, sex offender registration, and being subject to search and seizures at any time, even without probable cause.

When a parolee violates any term or condition of their parole, they are taken into custody on a no-bail hold until they see a judge. A parolee is entitled to a formal hearing and is also entitled to have legal representation, which is highly recommended. Each violation of parolee can expose someone to up to 1 year in prison.

If someone you know has been charged with violating parole in the Los Angeles, Mid City, Beverly Hills or Metro areas, contact Attorney Ross Erlich at (818) 783-5700

Speeding Tickets Happen

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You know the feeling: you’re driving a little too fast, maybe late for an appointment or work and all of the sudden you see those dreaded red and blue lights in your rear-view mirror. The Los Angeles Police officer or California Highway Patrolman approaches your car and, while you both may know why you are stopped, proceeds to ask if you know why he or she stopped you.

Speeding tickets are, well, sometimes just a part of life. They can be a costly violation; average fines for speeding violation after assessments total close to $500 plus $64 for a traffic school fee and then the cost of traffic school itself. If you were driving 100mph or above, there is also the possibility of higher fines, 2 points on your license and a DMV negligent operator license suspension hearing.

The same holds true for other traffic violations – they add up quickly. Failures to appear, civil assessments and other multiple citations can make what first appeared to be a simple fix-it ticket turn into a several hundred dollar headache.

In the Metropolitan Los Angeles area, most traffic tickets are handled out of the Metropolitan Courthouse.  Other high volume traffic courts are the Santa Monica Courthouse, Van Nuys Courthouse and Beverly Hills Courthouse.  Attorney Ross Erlich has handled numerous speeding and other traffic violations in these courthouses with a high success rate. Attorney Ross Erlich knows that speeding tickets and other point violations can negatively impact your auto insurance rates and that there are other ways at resolving these traffic matters that do not carry a point violation.

If you or someone you know has been cited for speeding, driving without a license, driving on a suspended license, failure to have insurance, registration or any other traffic violation, contact Attorney Ross Erlich at (323) 222-4529.

Teen Bullies Get Questioned And Judged By Their Peers

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Teen courts have operated in Los Angeles County for over the last 20 years. In these specialized courts, trained teenagers question, determine guilt and ultimately sentence fellow teenagers charged with crimes.

Faced with the reality that many youths charged with relatively minor offenses can often avoid the criminal justice system and becoming repeat offenders if worked with at an early age, Judge David Wesley helped develop the program to what it is today. Thus, the teen courts typically deal with teenage first-time offenders charged with such crimes as petty theft, vandalism, bullying, etc, and are referred by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office or through the LA County Probation Department. It is estimated that less than 5% of those offenders tried in teen court repeat their crimes.

A new offshoot of the Teen Court program is now starting to address incidents of bullying and hate crimes in an attempt to curb this behavior before it becomes normal.

The teens that serve on the court are allowed to ask questions of the accused and are trained about what questions to ask, the elements of the crimes and other topics to assist them to come to an educated decision.

Having served on a teen court many years ago, Attorney Ross Erlich realizes the value and importance that this program can have on both the person charged with a crime and the community as a whole. Not only does the person charged with a crime get to realize the consequences of their actions and how it can affect families and friends, the community benefits from the personalized treatment and reduction of repeat offenders.

If you or someone you know has been charged with vandalism, petty-theft, battery or any other crime in the Metropolitan Los Angeles area, Beverly Hills or near the Airport Court, contact Attorney Ross Erlich for a free one-on-one consultation at (818) 783-5700.

Police Officer In A Sticky Situation

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A San Diego police officer pleaded no contest today to a misdemeanor charge of committing a lewd act in public. The charge was part of a plea deal where prosecutors agreed to drop a felony charge of sexual assault in exchange for the no contest plea.

Former officer Daniel Dana was charged last May for, what prosecutors claim, coercing a prostitute to have sex with him in his patrol car by threatening to arrest her if she did not comply with his request.

So, the Officer “got off” with a lighter sentence and one which does not require registration as a sex offender and San Diego obtained a conviction, both sides walked away with a compromise. This is a great example of what can be done when you hire an attorney at the earliest time after your arrest as possible. When Attorney Ross Erlich is retained, he can start contacting the investigating detectives and prosecutor to discuss resolution of the matter.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for lewd acts, solicitation of prostitution, DUI or hit-and-run in Beverly Hills or by LAX/Airport Court, contact Attorney Ross Erlich right now. Taking action early can help bring about the best possible resolution to your case.

Contact Attorney Ross Erlich here or call the office for a free consultation at (323) 222-4529.

Fatal hit-and-run suspect turns himself in

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The suspect involved in the fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred on Saturday night in Koreatown has turned himself in to authorities on Monday evening. On Saturday night, a 42 year-old man was hit at the intersection of Olympic and Norton and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Pursuant to California Vehicle Code section 20002, any driver that is involved in a collision that results in any damage must stop at the nearest location so as not to impede traffic and make contact with the other party involved. Each party is also responsible for exchanging driver’s license information, registration information and valid insurance information in order to comply with California law.

Failure to stop, notify the other party or exchange this information can lead to an arrest or a notice to appear for a court date for a misdemeanor violation of California Vehicle Code section 20002.

If you have been charged with a hit-and-run it is important to contact Attorney Ross Erlich immediately. The earlier the work is started on your case, the more options there are available for you. Taking action early on a hit-and-run can lead to dismissals of the charges, civilly compromising the matter with the victim or possible reduction of the charges to avoid negative impact on your driving record.

If you have been arrested, cited or have questions regarding a hit-and-run in Beverly Hills, the LAX/Airport area, at the Metropolitan Courthouse or anywhere in Los Angeles county, contact attorney Ross Erlich at (323) 222-4529.

You can also contact attorney Ross Erlich here.