I've been handling felony DUI cases in downtown LA, 210 West Temple, for the past 26 years. Obviously, this is a very serious 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 to not be able to safely operate a motor vehicle.
They have usually injured another party, and a bunch of different allegations can come out of a felony DUI in the downtown courthouse.
DUI and Great Bodily Injury Allegation
One is the concept of great 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 sort of an accident and hurt somebody, or hurt your passenger or hit a pedestrian and that other party is seriously injured where they have great 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 great 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 get the idea that felony DUIs are not good. Even if there's not great bodily injury, but instead, there's a serious bodily 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 serious the injury actually is, what the person's criminal record looks like, how dangerous they were when they were involved in the DUI case. There's a whole host of different factors.
The best way to handle it, obviously, is to hire an attorney like me. Pick up the phone. Ask to speak to Ron Hedding. We'll look at all the factors, including your good name, your character, what you do for a living.
We will also look at your prior criminal record, whether you've ever had DUIs on your record before, whether you've ever been arrested before — there's a whole slew of things that are relevant in a DUI case.
Obviously, 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 big enough policy 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 been in front of the judges, many of whom were prosecutors for many years that I've tried cases against, and now have become judges. I know a lot of the prosecutors as well.
I have some really great strategies to help you — to humanize you — and get you the best possible result when it comes to a felony DUI in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
Pick up the phone. Make the call now. I stand at the ready to help you.
Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County at 16000 Ventura Blvd #1208 Encino, CA 91436. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (213) 542-0979.
