SAN FERNANDO - A 20-year-old Canyon Contry man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he drunkenly plowed his pickup truck into a group of bicyclists in a canyon north of Saugus, killing one and injuring at least three others.
Marco Valencia wore a beard and a green county jail jumpsuit to his arraignment in San Fernando Superior Court, remaining relatively quiet after loudly answering "present" when the judge called his name.
Valencia was on probation with a suspended driver's license at the time of the crash, having two prior DUI convictions. He faces life in prison if convicted.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested him July 11, after he fled the scene of a crash that killed 43-year-old Stevenson Ranch resident Joe Novotny and injured at least three other bicyclists riding on a winding stretch of Bouquet Canyon Road.
Novotny, a Minnesota native, was an avid and experienced bicyclist who recently moved to Stevenson Ranch to become the general manager of a Valencia-based liquid-filter company.
Witnesses and investigators told The Signal earlier this month that Valencia had been driving erratically through Saugus miles before the fatal crash - he drifted across lanes, drove up onto curbs and ran into a chain-link fence.
Valencia was most recently convicted of driving under the influence last year after he ran into a power pole in Canyon Country, knocking out power to nearby residents for hours.
The then-teenager received his first DUI conviction in 2007.
In the current case, he faces 12 felony counts, including one of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony hit-and-run and several other charges.
Source
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Westminster City Councilman Facing Possible DUI Charges
LOS ANGELES (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO) -- A Westminster City Councilman is facing possible DUI charges, after smashing his Mercedes into a power pole over the weekend and knocking out electricity to more than 300 homes. Andy Quach says he takes full responsibility for the crash and is ready to face the consequences... although he's not admitting to being drunk.
He says he must've drifted off to sleep while driving. Quach was hurt in the accident - but nothing major. He didn't take a breathalyzer test, but did take a blood test...those results could take a couple of weeks.
Source
He says he must've drifted off to sleep while driving. Quach was hurt in the accident - but nothing major. He didn't take a breathalyzer test, but did take a blood test...those results could take a couple of weeks.
Source
Monday, September 28, 2009
LOS ANGELES PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR PROVES CHILD NEGLECT AND ENDANGERMENT ISSUES THROUGH LAW ENFORCEMEN
Increasingly, allegations of child neglect and endangerment are viewed as “child custody disputes” within the jurisdiction of family law courts. Accordingly, it is becoming more common for a parent to levy allegations of abuse and report such claims to the Department of Social Services to initiate a formal investigation.
Many concerned parents get a rude awakening when Child Protective Services’ reports turn up “Unfounded” results and they learn no further action will be taken. This can be a nightmare to any parent who has intimate knowledge of the abusive parent’s potential to harm the child.
In reality, most such cases are treated as “Child Custody Disputes” by family court. A contested child custody dispute can be a financially and emotionally frustrating endeavor. Many times the case can be reduced to legal theatrics by ambitious attorneys prolonging the legal agony for profit. Most cases will be invariably predicated on unsubstantiated facts and the implied consequences on the child. These cases will lack direct evidence to support the allegations to materially implicate the bad parent.
The child custody experts at Lead Investigation Group, Inc. specialize in handling such custody cases by introducing direct and relevant evidence. The agency consults and investigates complex custody cases private clients and Certified Family Law Specialist attorneys. The agency employs all its resources including use of law enforcement assistance when necessary to properly document and investigate criminal offenses (ie: DUI arrests, narcotics possession, domestic violence, or money laundering and financial crimes.) The investigations supplement the routine investigation conducted by the agency (ie: documentation of alcohol or drug dependency, relationship with or cohabitation with a new partner who is unfit, or through documentation of any pattern of behavior indicative of emotional abuse or neglect.) These efforts generate overwhelming evidence that would otherwise remain undiscovered.
In a recent case, Lead Investigation Group's Orange County private investigators documented a subject's alcohol intake during a weekend visitation with the minor child. The investigators noted the mother's impaired motor functions, as she drove to the babysitter's house to pick up the child. While transporting the child, the mother was detained and arrested for DUI by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The evidence of the mother's alcohol intake was presented by the investigators and a conviction for willfull child endangerment and a DUI was sustained. Accordingly, custody was turned over to the father of the child, as the mother was deemed a potential threat to the minor child.
Lead Investigation Group’s investigators are subject matter experts and testify to these findings and present legally admissible audio and video recorded evidence to bolster the case. The findings are usually the key to a favorable custody ruling or modification.
The agency’s private detectives have leveraged hundreds of cases in nearly every Family Court venue in California. Since October 2008, the agency has had a 100% success rate in Ex-Parte motions filed in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Francisco County.
Source
Many concerned parents get a rude awakening when Child Protective Services’ reports turn up “Unfounded” results and they learn no further action will be taken. This can be a nightmare to any parent who has intimate knowledge of the abusive parent’s potential to harm the child.
In reality, most such cases are treated as “Child Custody Disputes” by family court. A contested child custody dispute can be a financially and emotionally frustrating endeavor. Many times the case can be reduced to legal theatrics by ambitious attorneys prolonging the legal agony for profit. Most cases will be invariably predicated on unsubstantiated facts and the implied consequences on the child. These cases will lack direct evidence to support the allegations to materially implicate the bad parent.
The child custody experts at Lead Investigation Group, Inc. specialize in handling such custody cases by introducing direct and relevant evidence. The agency consults and investigates complex custody cases private clients and Certified Family Law Specialist attorneys. The agency employs all its resources including use of law enforcement assistance when necessary to properly document and investigate criminal offenses (ie: DUI arrests, narcotics possession, domestic violence, or money laundering and financial crimes.) The investigations supplement the routine investigation conducted by the agency (ie: documentation of alcohol or drug dependency, relationship with or cohabitation with a new partner who is unfit, or through documentation of any pattern of behavior indicative of emotional abuse or neglect.) These efforts generate overwhelming evidence that would otherwise remain undiscovered.
In a recent case, Lead Investigation Group's Orange County private investigators documented a subject's alcohol intake during a weekend visitation with the minor child. The investigators noted the mother's impaired motor functions, as she drove to the babysitter's house to pick up the child. While transporting the child, the mother was detained and arrested for DUI by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The evidence of the mother's alcohol intake was presented by the investigators and a conviction for willfull child endangerment and a DUI was sustained. Accordingly, custody was turned over to the father of the child, as the mother was deemed a potential threat to the minor child.
Lead Investigation Group’s investigators are subject matter experts and testify to these findings and present legally admissible audio and video recorded evidence to bolster the case. The findings are usually the key to a favorable custody ruling or modification.
The agency’s private detectives have leveraged hundreds of cases in nearly every Family Court venue in California. Since October 2008, the agency has had a 100% success rate in Ex-Parte motions filed in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and San Francisco County.
Source
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
LA DUI Lawyers' False Promises of Dismissal
You have just been arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles. Naturally, you are concerned. You need help so you decide to meet with an LA DUI lawyer who tells you that your case can be dismissed. Ahh, dismissal, the magic word. Or is it? Was that Los Angeles DUI lawyer being honest with your or just making an empty promise of a dismissal?
As an LA DUI lawyer, it's easy to tell someone arrested for a DUI that you can get their case dismissed. After all, it's only natural for someone charged with a DUI to want to avoid a conviction. They are concerned about going to jail, their job, their driver's license. They want good news. Unfortunately, a dismissal is not a realistic option on all DUI cases. What's even more unfortunate is that many Los Angeles DUI lawyers know this yet still use words like "dismissal" in an effort to get you to hire them.
An experienced LA DUI lawyer should know how to draw out the necessary information from a potential DUI client to thoroughly evaluate their case. To that end, it is the duty of any credible LA DUI lawyer to be able to advise a client as to what they can reasonably expect to happen on their case. This would include breaking down both the best and worst case scenario.
Now while a "dismissal" would always be the best case scenario on any criminal case, not just a DUI, it is not always a realistic option. For example, let's say you have a Los Angeles DUI case in which your blood alcohol concentration is extremely high, above a .20% for example. Then, absent some glaring violation of your rights or technicality, the likelihood of a dismissal of your DUI case is not too realistic. Your case will most likely be one about damage control such as avoiding jail or a license suspension in which case an experienced LA DUI lawyer is still of great value to you.
If an LA DUI lawyer is talking dismissal for a DUI case as described above, they are doing nothing more then praying upon your emotions in hopes of getting your money. It is unfair and misleading and will certainly lead to a confrontation when the client figures out that their Los Angeles DUI lawyer has made nothing more than a false promise.
It's sad but true. Many LA DUI lawyers know you are in a position where you want to hear something extremely positive and they are relying on this to get you to hire them.
So what can you do to protect yourself against the false promises of "dismissal" for LA DUI lawyers more concerned about getting your money then truly helping you? The following is a list of tips that will assist you in making sure you hire the right Los Angeles DUI lawyer:
Source
As an LA DUI lawyer, it's easy to tell someone arrested for a DUI that you can get their case dismissed. After all, it's only natural for someone charged with a DUI to want to avoid a conviction. They are concerned about going to jail, their job, their driver's license. They want good news. Unfortunately, a dismissal is not a realistic option on all DUI cases. What's even more unfortunate is that many Los Angeles DUI lawyers know this yet still use words like "dismissal" in an effort to get you to hire them.
An experienced LA DUI lawyer should know how to draw out the necessary information from a potential DUI client to thoroughly evaluate their case. To that end, it is the duty of any credible LA DUI lawyer to be able to advise a client as to what they can reasonably expect to happen on their case. This would include breaking down both the best and worst case scenario.
Now while a "dismissal" would always be the best case scenario on any criminal case, not just a DUI, it is not always a realistic option. For example, let's say you have a Los Angeles DUI case in which your blood alcohol concentration is extremely high, above a .20% for example. Then, absent some glaring violation of your rights or technicality, the likelihood of a dismissal of your DUI case is not too realistic. Your case will most likely be one about damage control such as avoiding jail or a license suspension in which case an experienced LA DUI lawyer is still of great value to you.
If an LA DUI lawyer is talking dismissal for a DUI case as described above, they are doing nothing more then praying upon your emotions in hopes of getting your money. It is unfair and misleading and will certainly lead to a confrontation when the client figures out that their Los Angeles DUI lawyer has made nothing more than a false promise.
It's sad but true. Many LA DUI lawyers know you are in a position where you want to hear something extremely positive and they are relying on this to get you to hire them.
So what can you do to protect yourself against the false promises of "dismissal" for LA DUI lawyers more concerned about getting your money then truly helping you? The following is a list of tips that will assist you in making sure you hire the right Los Angeles DUI lawyer:
Source
Friday, August 28, 2009
California DUI Lawyer Explains What to do if You're Stopped for a DUI
LONG BEACH, Calif., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationally-known California DUI attorney Lawrence Taylor, author of Drunk Driving Defense, offers this advice:
"What should I do if I'm stopped for suspicion of DUI?"
First, don't flunk the "attitude test": Be pleasant and cooperative with the officer. But that doesn't mean to do everything you're asked. For example, you're not required by law to take the DUI field sobriety tests, and frankly I'd advise you to decline them. In Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco and other parts of California, you may be asked to take a DUI handheld breath test during the DUI investigation; again, you're not required by California law to take it and you should politely decline.
"Should I answer the officer's questions?"
Decline to answer potentially incriminating questions, such as "How much have you had to drink?" or "How do you feel?" Remember: whatever you say that can hurt you will be put in the officer's DUI report - and whatever will help you will be left out. A good answer is, "I would prefer not to answer any more questions until I can see an attorney."
"Should I take a breath or blood test?"
If you're offered a test after you're arrested for DUI, you should probably take it. If you refuse, the possible license suspension and jail time will be longer and a refusal can be used in evidence as an implied admission of intoxication. The blood test is potentially more accurate than the generally unreliable breathalyzer, so if you're confident that your blood-alcohol level is under .08%, take it.
"How serious are the consequences of a California DUI conviction?"
Initially, the possible legal consequences of a DUI conviction depend upon many factors, such as the blood-alcohol level, any prior DUI record, presence of children in the car, etc. Penalties include jail, fines, license suspension, DUI schools, probation and possibly more. But the indirect damage can be considerable: including a criminal record, increased car insurance, employment problems, professional licensing issues, security clearance -- even possible consequences in divorce or child custody cases.
"What is the most important thing for me to know if I'm arrested for DUI in California?"
DUI is the most difficult crime for an attorney to defend correctly, due to the complex criminal DUI laws and scientific blood-alcohol issues, as well as separate California DMV administrative hearings. Recognize that it's usually the unreliable breath machine that largely determines guilt or innocence. It's crucial that you retain a California DUI attorney with at least 10 years experience, preferably a lawyer who specializes in DUI defense exclusively in Los Angeles, Orange County or wherever you were arrested.
Source
"What should I do if I'm stopped for suspicion of DUI?"
First, don't flunk the "attitude test": Be pleasant and cooperative with the officer. But that doesn't mean to do everything you're asked. For example, you're not required by law to take the DUI field sobriety tests, and frankly I'd advise you to decline them. In Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco and other parts of California, you may be asked to take a DUI handheld breath test during the DUI investigation; again, you're not required by California law to take it and you should politely decline.
"Should I answer the officer's questions?"
Decline to answer potentially incriminating questions, such as "How much have you had to drink?" or "How do you feel?" Remember: whatever you say that can hurt you will be put in the officer's DUI report - and whatever will help you will be left out. A good answer is, "I would prefer not to answer any more questions until I can see an attorney."
"Should I take a breath or blood test?"
If you're offered a test after you're arrested for DUI, you should probably take it. If you refuse, the possible license suspension and jail time will be longer and a refusal can be used in evidence as an implied admission of intoxication. The blood test is potentially more accurate than the generally unreliable breathalyzer, so if you're confident that your blood-alcohol level is under .08%, take it.
"How serious are the consequences of a California DUI conviction?"
Initially, the possible legal consequences of a DUI conviction depend upon many factors, such as the blood-alcohol level, any prior DUI record, presence of children in the car, etc. Penalties include jail, fines, license suspension, DUI schools, probation and possibly more. But the indirect damage can be considerable: including a criminal record, increased car insurance, employment problems, professional licensing issues, security clearance -- even possible consequences in divorce or child custody cases.
"What is the most important thing for me to know if I'm arrested for DUI in California?"
DUI is the most difficult crime for an attorney to defend correctly, due to the complex criminal DUI laws and scientific blood-alcohol issues, as well as separate California DMV administrative hearings. Recognize that it's usually the unreliable breath machine that largely determines guilt or innocence. It's crucial that you retain a California DUI attorney with at least 10 years experience, preferably a lawyer who specializes in DUI defense exclusively in Los Angeles, Orange County or wherever you were arrested.
Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)