Marin DUI Lawyer Blog

June 30, 2021

Marin County DUI Checkpoint in San Rafael, this 4th of July Holiday Weekend

The San Rafael Police Department is conducting a Drunk Driving and driver’s license checkpoint on Friday, July 2, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at an undisclosed location The SRPD indicates that the checkpoint will be funded through state and federal grants.

DUI and driver’s license checkpoints are to be conducted at locations chosen based on collision statistics and the frequency of driving under the influence arrests. Marin County law enforcement officers believe the such locations afford them the best opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence.

Police agencies throughout California believe that DUI Checkpoints, along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement, are proven strategies with the goal of removing drunk drivers from our highways. In Marin County, local police departments and police departments throughout the San Francisco Bay Area hold DUI checkpoints and conduct roving patrols to deter DUI drivers and to keep unlicensed drivers off the streets.

Marin County drivers arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol face possible jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, and additional expenses that can often exceed $10,000.
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April 17, 2020

Marin County – Alleged Drunk Driver Crashes Two Cars Into House

by John Stanko

The California Highway Patrol arrested an “extremely impaired” driver on Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in unincorporated Marin County near San Rafael after the Marin County Sheriff’s Office and CHP responded to a call of concerning a driver drove his Mustang through a fence and into a residence.

The crash woke up the homeowner, who took the keys from the driver and went back inside his home to call the police. The driver then saw the homeowner’s car with the keys in it and he got in it to apparently drive away but instead of driving off he drove into the house again. When the homeowner came out of his house again the impaired driver attacked him causing major injuries.

The driver was then arrested for DUI involving drugs, battery, and car theft.

April 1, 2020

Coronavirus Stay At Home Order Clears Freeways but Speeding Drivers Increase

by John Stanko

As the Novel Coronavirus has resulted in most Californians being told to shelter in place and only essential travel is allowed on our highways, The California Highway Patrol is reporting a rise in motorists traveling at excessive speeds.

The CHP’s Golden Gate Division posted on Facebook on March 4, 2020, that there had been a “steady rise” in the number of tickets issued for drivers going in excess of 100 mph throughout the nine county San Francisco Bay Area.

If you receive a speeding ticket for exceeding 100 mph you could be punished by fines of approximately $800.00, and could have your driver’s license suspended for 30 days. In addition, a 100 mph citation for speeding carries two points on a driver’s DMV record. Drivers facing any moving violation in Novato, San Rafael, San Francisco, Oakland, or anywhere in the Bay Area should call an experienced aggressive traffic ticket attorney for help.

March 27, 2020

Suspected Drunk Driver Causes Highway Closure

by John Stanko

On March 26, 2020, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department chased a suspected DUI driver from the City of Carson to South Los Angeles until the driver was driving on shredded tires and crashed. The pursuit lasted for over an hour and the driver continued to drive even after the police deployed a spike strip shredding three of his tires.

The chase began when officers suspected the driver may be driving under the influence when his vehicle was seen weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights.

California drivers arrested for drunk driving will face possible jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, fees, mandatory DUI classes, and additional expenses that can sometimes exceed $10,000.

March 26, 2020

Suspect Runs into Novato Police Officer’s Patrol Car

by John Stanko

On Monday evening, March 23, 2020, a City of Novato Police Officer attempted to stop a driver for making an unsafe lane change. However, the driver did not pull over and in fact turned around on a dead-end street and attempted to run from the officer and ended up running his BMW into the officer’s patrol vehicle.

The officer pursued the BMW with the help of the California Highway Patrol and during the pursuit the driver crashed and came to a stop. Once the police officer approached the driver he noticed a handgun and other suspicious items in the car. After searching the car, officers found more than three pounds of suspected Methamphetamine, Oxycodone pills, MDMA, and Cocaine. The driver was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail for assaulting a police officer, possession of narcotics and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

If you are arrested for assault, drug possession or firearms charges in Novato, Fairfax, San Rafael, or elsewhere in Marin County, call an experienced aggressive criminal defense attorney for help.

March 26, 2020

Oakland Man Dies in Suspected DUI crash in Contra Costa County

by John Stanko

On March 23, 2020, a man from Oakland California died after a car that he was a passenger in crashed into a parked work truck. The driver of the vehicle was arrested for Drunk Driving. The crash happened on Clayton Road near Duncan Drive. The driver, a 26 year old woman from Pittsburg, California, was booked into the Contra Costa County jail for DUI.

Drivers who are arrested for a DUI in the San Francisco Bay Area, Contra Costa County, Marin County or any of the State’s nine Bay Area counties face the possibility of jail time, the loss of their driving privilege, fines and mandatory attendance at a DUI school if convicted. The costs of defending a drunk driving case can sometimes exceed $10,000.
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November 2, 2018

SOLANO COUNTY DUI CHECKPOINT IN VALLEJO TONIGHT

by John Stanko

The Vallejo Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence and drivers license checkpoint tonight, November 2, 2018. The checkpoint will be fun at an undisclosed location starting at 6 p.m.

The Solano County checkpoint will be funded by California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the Vallejo Police Department supports OTS’s efforts to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Valljeo Police Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment and if needed, specially trained officers will be called to evaluate drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving.

A person charged with a DUI in Solano County could be punished with probation, fines, a DUI school and up to 6 months in jail under the California Vehicle Code. Punishment is greater for people with multiple offenses for driving under the influence. Whether arrested for DUI in Vallejo, Benicia, American Canyon, or Fairfield, you need to call an experienced aggressive driving under the influence attorney for help.

February 11, 2018

Marin Driver Arrested for DUI With 4 Year Old In The Car

by John Stanko

On Friday, January 26, 2018, Marin County sheriff’s deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol arrested a driver after he was seen driving erratically at speeds in excess of 80 mph in Mill Valley. The male driver had a 4-year-old passenger in his car when he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

Marin County drivers arrested for drunk driving will face possible jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, fees, mandatory DUI classes, and additional expenses that can sometimes exceed $10,000.

If you are arrested for drunk driving, in Mill Valley, Kentfield, San Rafael, Sausalito, or anywhere in Marin County call an experienced aggressive traffic ticket and DUI defense attorney for help.

February 9, 2018

1 DUI Arrest In Napa After The Super Bowl

by John Stanko

The City of Napa Police Department reported that they made one arrest for Drunk Driving after Super Bowl LII. The Napa Police had increased their patrols looking for DUI drivers on Super Sunday. 48 cases were stopped and Napa Police Officers administered field sobriety tests to six people but only one driver, a 27-year old female from Vallejo, was arrested for driving under the influence.

If you are convicted of a DUI in Napa County you are facing three year’s probation on a first offense and up to 6 months in jail. You need to call an experienced aggressive driving under the influence attorney for help.

For more information about driving under the influence charges in Napa, Calistoga, American Canyon, Marin County and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, or for a free consultation, call Northern California DUI attorney John Stanko at 707-642-8900, 415-755-8899, or toll free at 1-415-755-8899.

February 7, 2018

5 CHP Officers Hit By Cars on Bay Area Freeways – Zero Tolerance DUI Campaign Launched

by John Stanko

Five California Highway Patrol officers have been hit by cars as they were assisting other motorists on Bay Area freeways in the last several weeks. Three of those crashes were DUI related and the CHP is responding by launching an anti-drunk driving campaign. The Highway Patrol will have officers out in force, looking to stop impaired drivers before they injure or kill themselves or someone else.

San Francisco Bay Area drivers arrested for driving while impaired face possible jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, and additional expenses that can sometimes exceed $10,000.
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