San Diego DUI Lawyer Blog

In Los Angeles, actress Estella Warren appeared in court Friday due to her May 2011 DUI arrest.

Warren pleaded no-contest for her DUI charge and the Judge ordered that the she go into a residential rehab facility for six months. Frank Mateljan, a Los Angeles city attorney’s spokesman explained that in addition to residential rehab, Warren is sentenced to five years of informal probation. According to the Associated Press, on October 7th of this year, Warren will have to attend a hearing about whether or not she will have to pay restitution.

The actress alongside Mark Wahlberg starred in 2001 blockbuster Planet of the Apes crashed her Prius while driving under the influence of alcohol into three parked cars. Warren was also charged for assaulting an officer. According to a representative for the L.A. Sheriff’s Dept, Warren “was uncooperative and demanding. She removed her handcuffs and fled the police station. She was captured and transported back." The actress had a previous stint with the law when she was arrested in 2007 for a DUI conviction.

According to Warren’s representative, the actress said "I take my actions and their consequences very seriously. I can't express enough how grateful I am that no one was injured or hurt. Moving forward I am focusing all my efforts on my career, my family and being a good influence [on] others."

Estella Warren Pleads No Contest to DUI, People Magazine Online, August 20, 2011

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San Diego DUI checkpoints that were set up in Chula Vista and San Diego on Friday nets 19 people under arrest for DUI.

The San Diego DUI checkpoint was set up in Mission Bay Park in the 2600 block of Ingraham Street on Friday from approximately 10:47 p.m. to 3:15 a.m. Thirteen people were taken into custody by the San Diego Police Department on suspicion of drunken driving.

Another DUI checkpoint was set up in Chula Vista on Friday in the 1200 block of Olympic Parkway. The Chula Vista DUI operation was held between 8:15 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. with almost 3200 cars passing through. According to the San Diego Sheriff’s department, there were six arrests for driving under the influence, and another three people were arrested for driving on a suspended license.

The DUI checkpoints are held to make people aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. “This was a successful operation, both in the number of impaired drivers and dangerous drivers removed from the street, and also in the amount of public awareness generated,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Rothlein.

If you find yourself arrested for San Diego DUI it might be in your best interest to seek legal representation from an experienced San Diego DUI lawyer.

19 Drunken Drivers Nabbed In DUI Checkpoints, August 15, 2011

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San Diego resident Long Xu was sentenced to four years and four months in prison for killing fellow car passenger and victim Jiani Cheng while he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Twenty-one year old Xu pleaded guilty in court for driving while intoxicated and for causing great bodily harm to Cheng. Xu’s defense attorney, Victor Orsatti, asked the court that his client receive probation. Orsatti argued that his client was “not a drinker and had five or six small glasses of beer at a karaoke bar before the crash. "This is a tragic situation," Orsatti said. "He (Xu) has led a tremendous life." It was stated in court that Xu had a blood alcohol content of .10% after the tragedy however it turned out to be .08 when he was retested. At the time of the accident, a witness said the Xu’s car had flipped on the northbound 11th Avenue onramp on Interstate 5 while going 60 mph.

According to Xu’s mother, she explained that she and her husband divorced two years ago and the divorce has affected her son. The other passenger in Xu’s vehicle was Guozhen Yu. Yu explained that Xu did well in school and that Xu helped him with his English.

The victim’s aunt and uncle appeared in court on behalf of their niece to watch justice be served since the victim’s parents live in China. Derek Grilz, Deputy District Attorney explained that this tragedy was “avoidable” if Xu had not made the choice to get behind the wheel after drinking.

Man Who Caused fatal DUI Crash that Killed Female Passenger Sentenced to Prison Term, San Diego CBS 8 News, August 12, 2011

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A DUI arrest in San Diego has been made for eighteen year old Joseph Edward Walsh who has been charged with two DUI felonies resulting from a drunken crash that occurred a few months ago.

Walsh who is listed to appear in court on Thursday for his arraignment is facing charges from causing injury and another felony count of driving with a considerable amount of alcohol in his system which also caused injury according to San Diego Police. On May 18, 2011, the crash occurred on Rueda Road where Walsh was driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent when he smashed into an SUV carrying a couple and their four year old. After the collision, the vehicle Walsh was driving rolled four times ultimately injuring two passengers.

Not long after the accident, a few of Walsh’s peers from Serra High School claimed that they were in disbelief that Walsh was involved in the crash. A fellow classmate of Walsh, Katelyn Garber said that “He's [Walsh] is a pretty sharp guy, good grades, everything ... what happened was not him at all; nothing he would do. It was a shock … to all of us.”

At the downtown San Diego County Courthouse, a complaint was filed that said Sarah Martin, Laureen Mazza, Sameer Asadi and Mogadassa Amozgar were also injured in the incident yet the complaint doesn't explain which vehicles they were in and how those people were injured. The San Diego district attorney's office as well as the police department would not go into further detail.

Man Faces DUI Charges In Tierrasanta Crash, San Diego 10 News, August 8, 2011

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A DUI arrest in San Diego was made due to a near fatal crash involving a motorcyclist that could result in three felonies if the motorcyclist doesn't survive.

Jessica Bloom was driving her white Chevy Blazer in Rancho Bernardo on Sunday around 12:30 in the afternoon when Bloom accelerated in her SUV and rear ended a motorcycle. David Smith, the motorcyclist as well as a Marine, was thrown from his bike on impact. The young, drunk, San Diego driver left the scene immediately without stopping and did not pull over and get out of her SUV. Luckily, there were witnesses that saw the entire accident.

The motorcyclist was taken to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido where he suffered from major head trauma and injuries to his liver and spleen. Due to the victim’s condition, there is a possibility he will not live due to his head injury. As of now, Bloom could be charged with felony DUI, felony hit and run and possibly manslaughter. The young, drunk driver was quickly arrested due to a witness who followed her when she tried to flee the scene. According to Traffic Det. Dan Wall, “People who watched the accident followed to her apartment and waited for police to arrive and take her into custody…I wish everybody would do it. It helps us out a heck of a lot.”

Wall also adds “Don’t put yourself in jeopardy or peril by driving 100 miles per hour (to follow someone),” he said. “In this case, they kept a reasonable distance and did not put themselves in jeopardy. That’s fine.”

Rancho Bernardo Hit-and-Run Driver Facing Two Felony Charges, PomeradoNews.com, August 1, 2011

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DUI Arrest in New York City for Al Pacino’s twenty-one year old daughter, Julie Pacino.

At 1:05 in the morning on Saturday Pacino drove through a Manhattan DUI checkpoint at West Houston Street in her black Mercedes. According to James Duffy, an officer, Pacino “had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and the strong smell of alcohol on her breath. She admitted to drinking three beers and smoking marijuana prior to entering the checkpoint." Although Pacino’s blood alcohol content at the time of driving has not yet been released to the public, officers claim that she was over the legal limit. Around 1:35 in the morning, Pacino was taken into custody due to her condition.

When her father heard of the arrest, he hopped on the next plane to New York City from Los Angeles where he was filming his new movie. It wasn’t until early afternoon where the Manhattan drunk driver was arraigned and then released from Manhattan Detention Complex. Information about an attorney is not yet available.

Julie Pacino is the daughter of Al Pacino and Jan Tarrant, an acting coach. In 2007 Pacino graduated Tappan Zee High School and in enrolled at University of California Los Angeles. She is known to be a star softball player in high school as well as college.

Al Pacino's Daughter Arrested For DUI, San Diego 10 News, August 1, 2011

Julie Pacino DUI: Al Pacino's Daughter Arrested In NYC, Huffington Post, July 30, 2011

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