Plea bargains in an Orange County DUI case
There are only three paths, or directions, that a DUI case can take, which start with a DUI arrest, and end with a resolution of the case. Plea bargains in an Orange County DUI case are one of many ways this can take place with a case pending in the Orange County Superior Court system.
Three ways a DUI case can be resolved
The three ways that a DUI case can be finished are the following:
- A DUI Plea Bargain;
- A motion to dismiss (or a motion to suppress evidence / suppression motion)
- A DUI Trial
Plea bargains in an Orange County DUI case.
What is a plea bargain? A plea bargain is a settlement of the case. It is defined as an agreement between the defendant and the prosecution to resolve the case without a trial.
The plea bargain can be anything from a dismissal to a conviction. In turn, that conviction can include classes, probation, or even jail.
It matters very much what the charges are during a plea bargain. For example, for Orange County DUI cases, the state imposes a minimum and a maximum for the DUI charge itself. That means that the judge must impose a three year probation, an alcohol school, and certain fines and fees. While the upper levels of punishment can go up, and include a longer school, up to six months of jail time, and can also include MADD classes in Orange County, Orange County DNA database submission, and the Orange County Work Program, CalTrans, or Community Service in Orange County, the bottom level cannot go any further.
The way to take care of that is to negotiate to reduce the charge to a different code section, with lower minimums. We have had DUI cases reduced to a traffic ticket, DUI cases reduced to a fighting in public charge, and DUI cases reduced to a reckless driving or wet reckless, which is a common reduction.
Contact us today if you have questions about a plea bargain in a DUI case in Orange County, or what might be possible in your case.