Santa Clarita DUI

By this point, everyone should already know that driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI) is not a wise decision - though perhaps someone should remind Jeane Dexheimer of that.  Dexheimer, a Camarillo resident, was taken into custody by Santa Clarita police last week after rear-ending a Santa Clarita Valley Transit bus.  Aside from one passenger complaining of back pain, none of the nine passengers aboard the bus, nor the driver, were injured.  Dexheimer was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries, then later arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI). 

As Jeane Dexheimer knows all too well by this point, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol has serious consequences, both legal and personal.  Aside from property damages or medical bills related to a DUI incident, DUI and DWI are both criminal offenses in the state of California and being charged with either can lead to expensive court fees and fines, the loss of your driving privileges, required community service, alcohol counseling classes or rehabilitation programs, and even jail time.  Every DUI case is slightly different, and the potential punishments for being convicted of DUI can vary widely.  Both the scale of damage and a person's prior criminal record are generally large factors in whether or not someone gets community service and probation or significant jail time as a punishment. 

ince the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level in most states is just .08%, going well over that limit can also guarantee someone a harsher punishment.  For example, if someone's  BAC level is .16%, or double the legal limit, their punishment, should they be convicted of DUI, could be much more severe than if their  BAC level was just .08% because the driver is considered to have been more "dangerous" while they were driving.

If you have been charged with DUI or DWI, the single most important thing you can do is to find an experienced DUI defense attorney.  An experienced DUI attorney will tell you that not all breath tests or blood tests are the most accurate measurements of someone's sobriety or even their true BAC.  Blood tests in particular have come under fire as many states find that lab results have either been contaminated or mishandled and misunderstood by prosecutors, law enforcement officers and even lab technicians.  If you have been charged with DUI or DWI, call the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today.  Our attorneys have over five decades of combined courtroom experience in helping people successfully defend themselves against DUI charges of all types.