I've been handling felony DUI cases in downtown LA, 210 West Temple, for the past 26 years. This is a grave crime because not only is the defendant in the case intoxicated, but a .08 or greater or on some other substance that's causing them not to be able to operate a motor vehicle safely.
They have usually injured another party, and a bunch of different allegations can come out of a felony DUI in the downtown courthouse.
One is the concept of significant bodily injury. If you are drinking alcohol and driving or using some other substance — marijuana, prescription medication — whatever the case may be.
Then you get in some accident and hurt somebody, or hurt your passenger or hit a pedestrian, and that other party is seriously injured where they have significant bodily injury.
Then, that's a special allegation that can be added onto a felony DUI that carries three years alone in addition to whatever time you might get for the DUI, which is typically a high term of three years.
So, in that scenario, you're looking at six years. Anything with a significant bodily injury attached to it is a strike. It also causes it to be a violent felony, so you would have to serve 85% of that time.
DUI with Serious Bodily Injury
So, you start to think that felony DUIs are not good. Even if there's not significant bodily injury, but instead, there's a severe physical injury in the downtown courthouse, they'll charge a felony.
A lot of times, they want to put the person in prison depending on how severe the injury is, what the person's criminal record looks like, and how dangerous they were when they were involved in the DUI case. There's a whole host of different factors.
The best way to navigate these complex legal waters is to hire an attorney like me. Pick up the phone and ask to speak to Ron Hedding. We'll examine all the factors, including your good name, character, and what you do for a living, to build a strong defense for you.
We will also look at your prior criminal record, whether you've ever had DUIs on your record before, and whether you've ever been arrested before — there's a slew of relevant things in a DUI case.
We're going to want to try to get the alleged victim compensated through your insurance company. Hopefully, you had insurance at the time. Hopefully, it was a policy that was significant enough to cover everything.
Call the Hedding Law Firm If Charged with a Felony DUI
So, we have to look at every angle. That's what I do. That's why, when you hire me, you're getting somebody with many years of felony DUI experience in that exact downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
I have appeared before judges, many of whom were prosecutors for years. I've tried cases against them, and now I have become a judge. I also know many of the prosecutors.
I have some great strategies to help you — to humanize you — and get you the best possible result regarding a felony DUI in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse. Pick up the phone. Make the call now. I stand ready to help you. Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in the San Fernando Valley.
