Questions Answered by David Dastrup
Q: Can police see your warrant if they run the license plates of a vehicle that is not registered under your name?
I got pulled over for expired tags. Police beat me up badly and didnt know my neighbor's cameras caught the whole thing. I didn't know I had a warrant and the police officer never mentioned anything about me having a warrant either. Now that I'm fighting the charges, they're trying to say that they... Read more »
You are right in that it does not make sense that they would find a warrant for you based on looking up someone else's license plates. There are a lot of different reasons police pull people over. Here, if the tags were actually expired, that is a legitimate reason. However, sometimes a police... Read more »
Q: My son is being charged with burglary and a strike for attempting to break in to a detached garage
What is your question? Are you looking for an attorney or for some information?
Q: I found that I got a ticket 3 years ego and they sent letter to address that was not on my driving license
I live in San Diego and ticket was in Fremont and I don’t know they send it to the address that I had in 2010 not 2016. Now ticket is $800!! What should I do?
If the ticket is causing a hold for your drivers license, then you should take care of it. Find an attorney in the area of where the court is located and hire them to help you resolve it.
By the way, if you were handed a ticket in person, that would have been notice to appear. The court... Read more »
Q: Can a cop legally give two different people the same ticket for the same vehicle if it is being transferred from one to
A friend is take over payments on a vehicle I no longer need and he was pulled over for speeding after making a turn from a stop light and I as the vehicle owner as well as the friend got a ticket for the same thing even though I was not present.
Generally, only the driver can be cited for speeding. If the owner is cited, it is probably for something else. To receive an owner responsibility ticket, the owner does not need to be present.
Q: Can four defendants be tried all together and have to take the same plead?
Witness report states which defendant actually did the crime and which ones didn’t. But they are all getting the same plead
You cannot be forced to plead a certain way because somebody else does. In fact, the court (at State Bar ethics rules) will require that you be assigned a different attorney to avoid a conflict of interest if you do not want to do the same thing with your case that the other defendants want. So you... Read more »
Q: I am being charged with pc 192(c)(2).Do you think I have a case? Should I hire a laywer or will a Public Defender do?
Early in the morning around 6:25AM (still dusk). while on my way to work, I was approaching an intersection, I saw that all lanes of traffic appeared to be flowing normally. At this point I was probably several hundred feet away. I then noticed the cars directly in front of me were not moving. In... Read more »
Public defenders are real lawyers, and very competent. However, a private attorney will likely take more time on your case, but this will cost more, too. It is your choice. Regardless, you must be concerned with this case and an attorney will help your situation. The judge will not let you go this... Read more »
Q: How high can a judge place bail above that counties schedule for a misdemeanor?
What can you do to get the court to eliminate excessive bail for a misdemeanor?
To argue excessive bail, you really need an attorney to make the legal arguments, not a do it yourself project. However, you can go to a law library and research the issue and your rights and come up with a few points.
Q: I never missed a court date they had gave me one but it never happed
When i went to check i had a warrent
This scenario can be fixed, but best with an attorney to explain to the judge how and why it happened. If you went to court on the date they gave you but the case was not filed, and then later they issued a warrant because the case was filed later and a new court date was set without you knowing,... Read more »
Q: I got arrested than got OR an now when i was looking up my court date it said i had a warrent
They said they filed with warrent what does that mean?
After you are released O.R., then you still have to go back to court. If you miss that court date, then a warrant will be issued. If this is not what happened, there are other possibilities, such as a court clerical error, or a notice to appear with a different date but you never received the... Read more »
Q: I got arrested for a warrant I severed time for I got bailed out and haven't seen a judge yet. I'm wondering if there's
Any way to stop making payments to bail bondmen if I already served my time for tht
Not sure exactly of your situation. However, paying the bail bondsman is unrelated to the court in most ways. You simply owe the bondsman for posting a bail bond on your behalf, you are paying for a service that already took place. If you are out on bail now, the bond will not be exonerated until... Read more »
Q: If a 17 year old runs away from home to live with adult boyfriend & fam & parent won't report it should teacher report ?
If you are a teacher, you have certain responsibilities. If you are unaware or unsure what to do, maybe talk to someone who is more familiar. The principle at the school has usually dealt with situations like this more than an inexperienced teacher, and might be a good resource, although the... Read more »
Q: What is penal code 259(2)
Might you be thinking of the probate code section, which actually references the penal code. Look up Probate Code 259 and then look up Penal Code 236
Q: Bail out before or after arraignment?
Booked on 3 misdemeanor counts, throw at vehicle, dui in possession of, and blowing over 0.08, 1 felony count awd non firearm. Client also has outstanding traffic tickets, from before arrest. With a previous brandishing charge that is 10 years old, no other priores. Client is also from area,... Read more »
It depends, so he hiring an attorney that is familiar with the court, and could look at the details of the case and priors, would best be able to advise on this. No guessing is going to help, other than to say that if bailed out, then there is time without being in jail to work on case--this is... Read more »
Q: Hi! I have a question regarding open criminal cases of DV in California.
I was an international student in a univ. of CA. The week after my graduation, my parents & I were in a hotel of Thousand Oaks & one day my dad disrupted the hotel office by insulting employees. They opted for not pressing charges; the thing was that when we went back to the room to get our stuff... Read more »
Great question. Sorry to hear about the problem. It is typical to be released and required to report back to court, either for another hearing or for a first hearing after the prosecution is ready to proceed (they have time, but limited time). Thus, the case is almost certainly still open,... Read more »
Q: After 3 yrs of court I was assured by my counsel that if I pled guilty that I could receive 6 months home confinement
This is in leui of 1 yr jail term plus 3 yrs formal probation . After I signed it was ordered to meet probation in the county I was convicted in. During the 3 yr court fight I relocated to anither County and have been residing here for 2 yrs. Both my counsel and the DA were aware of my move. I... Read more »
With legitimate doctor's records of surgeries, highly unlikely that any judge will not all time to handle a court order. On the other hand, moving out of county but expecting the county to provide you services out of their county is unrealistic, especially if you had a specific deal. Depending on... Read more »
Q: can my family member request a copy of my criminal proceeding and an affidavit of the judge's order
Some court clerk's will only give it to the defendant or an attorney, and this varies from courthouse or clerk. If they won't give it to a family member, simply hire an attorney to get the record for you.
Q: I had a conviction over turned and I am interested in getting my fines and refunded per the Supreme Court ruling.
My conviction was in San Diego California. When I attempted to get info from the courts Revenue and Recovery Dept. They were rude and told my that that ruling did not apply to my case and would offer no help or info. They pretty much just shut me down after asking about a refund and bringing up the... Read more »
The court's staff cannot give legal advice. If you feel that they should be refunding you because of a Supreme Court ruling that retroactively applies to your conviction, then you need an attorney. However, it sounds like you had some type of diversion, maybe a finding of guilt based on a plea but... Read more »
Q: If a person is listed on a search warrant of a residence can a seperate parties room be unsearched if the door is locked
Depends on the scope of the search, what is allowed to be searched and what they are looking for, as stated in the warrant, and other factors about the other room as part of the residence or clearly a separate persons room, etc. You really need an attorney to look at the details.
Q: I have a trial coming up I am suppose to have a co defendant and they keep saying I'm going to trial with out her..
my question is I bought a box at target and was hit up by loss prevention and arrested because there was stuff in the box . I had no idea there was stuff in box that did not belong there. so I guess these co defendants I am suppose to have put stuff in there but I only went to store and bought a... Read more »
Going to trial is a very serious concern that requires an attorney. Having co-defendants complicates not only the case generally, but also how the jury will respond to you compared to the co-defendants. This is not a do-it-yourself project, so you really need to ask your attorney, or hire an... Read more »
Q: If I'm a California resident but get caught driving under the influence in a different state, can I get charged there
and would I have to travel to appear in court there?
Yes, and it depends on that state's laws.
You most certainly can be charged with a crime where it was committed and held to answer at that location.
Whether or not you may appear in court through an attorney without you being personally present, depends on that state's laws.... Read more »
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