San Diego Criminal Attorney Blog

A research study conducted by the Automobile Club of Southern California's Steven Bloch revealed that the number of young female drivers involved in serious substance-related crashes has risen steeply since 1998. Bloch said that in San Diego County, intoxicated drivers between ages 21 and 24 saw the largest increase in fatal and injury crashes, up 124% from 1998.

In one 2007 case, a 23-year-old woman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine in a head-on crash that killed four people. She is currently awaiting trial on four counts of murder in connection with the crash.

Most people do not know that when the police have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed and that there was a DUI for drugs or a DUI because alcohol might have been involved they may demand that you take a chemical test to determine if you were under the influence at the time you were driving. If you refuse, then the DMV may suspend your license for one year. An attorney from Pro Law Partners may be able to attack the refusal on several grounds. If, after a hearing, the DMV believes that in fact there was not a "valid" refusal, then your license will not be suspended.

Emily Dowdy, 24, was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver Saturday night in Pacific Beach. Mabrey, the driver, left the scene to get something to eat at Burger King before returning to turn himself in. Empty beer cans were found in the truck and the driver told authorities he had been out drinking pitchers of beer before the accident.

Mabrey was booked on felony drunk driving under the influence and hit-and-run charges, as well as misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended license. San Diego police Sgt. Jeff Fellows said authorities will additionally seek to have gross vehicular manslaughter charges filed against him. Mabrey is being held on $500,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.

Continue reading "San Diego Police Seek Gross Vehicular Manslaughter Charges in Pacific Beach DUI Case " »

Andrea Ramirez, 20, was arrested Saturday night in Coronado for drunk driving. The BMW driven by Ramirez slammed into another car, sending one of the cars up onto the sidewalk. Four or five pedestrians were hit and suffered significant injuries.

The San Diego Police Department is investigating the accident and more charges may be filed.

Continue reading "San Diego Driver Hits Pedestrians " »

Chula Vista police impounded 28 vehicles from people without valid licenses and arrested 11 suspected drunk drivers as a result of a checkpoint on the island side of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

Officers from Chula Vista, Coronado, National City, and San Diego participated in the crackdown, as did sheriff's deputies. In addition, three people were booked on suspicion of possessing marijuana.

Continue reading "DUI Checkpoint on San Diego-Coronado Bridge Leads to 11 Arrests" »