Tucson DUI & Criminal Defense Blog

In Arizona, if you are under 21 you basically can’t legally drink.   Any amount of alcohol in your system with few exceptions, nearly always  no matter where you are and what you are doing,  is  illegal.  In other words, if you are under 21, and have a sip of beer, it is presumptively an Arizona  crime. ARS § 4-244.41,  I know that sounds crazy but it’s true.  And the local police do charge these cases.

I have seen many cases where a person is being detained prior to arrest in the Field Sobriety Test stage of a DUI investigation where the person asks to speak with an attorney, but the police say “ Not now. You can do that later.” Today we look at Arizona and other caselaw to answer the question: 

Many times when a person is pulled over by the police in his or her automobile, the police will search the vehicle the person was driving without a warrant, and without permission. Today we will talk about warrantless vehicle searches.

Arizona’s new sealing statute is a powerful way for people who have been charged or convicted of many common offenses, to be able to say “no” in many instances. But the statute is riddled with exceptions and limitations. Use care when petitioning, and even if granted, use care when answering applications for certain types of jobs. I hope this helps.

Diversion is a recognized court procedure, common in Arizona, but that is discretionary, and controlled entirely by the prosecutor, but that when offered and completed allows you to have all criminal charges entirely dismissed

Your child has become an undergraduate student at University of Arizona.  Maybe you live out-of-state, and your child is hundreds –and in many cases thousands– of miles away.  Then you get the call that your child got into trouble.  Maybe there’s a criminal citation. Maybe the University Police came to their dorm room. You’re not sure what to do.  This Guide is designed to help you.

In Arizona, “Aggravated Assault” charged under ARS § 13-1204 is a Class Four Felony, and in some cases with mandatory prison.  Today, we’ll discuss some of the most common  types of Aggravated Assault.

This blog discusses how in a typical criminal case such as a DUI or domestic violence police misconduct even if not resulting in grievous misfortune  can sometimes provide a helpful remedy  for the criminally accused.

According to the Government up to 95 % of all criminal cases in the United states are resolved through plea bargaining.  In fact, in one recent study  only 2% of federal criminal defendants went  to trial, and most who did were  found guilty.

Many people are surprised by how outsized the consequences some misdemeanor convictions can be. The “collateral” consequences—meaning all those hidden administrative, licensing, employment, custody-related, lifestyle related consequences that you don’t think even exist.