Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

I don't want to sound flippant ...but ... hire a good criminal defense attorney - this is what they are for. Good luck!

I agree with Ms. Hofmeister. Bear in mind that the charge does not imply that you were under the influence at the time of your arrest. It implies only that you were under the influence at an identifiable time. That time may or may not have been when you encountered the police.

Since I don't know the basis of the charges or the evidence against you, I can't tell you anything useful about your case. You should have your lawyer find out what she can and explain your options.

If you can't afford to hire a lawyer, the court will appoint one for you.

Good luck.

Of course you can fight the charges. When arrested or charged with any crime, the proper questions are, can any evidence obtained in a test, search or confession be used against you, can you be convicted, and what can you do? Raise all appropriate defenses with whatever witnesses, evidence and sympathies are available for legal arguments, for evidence suppression or other motions, or for trial. Effective plea-bargaining, using those defenses, could possibly reduce the potential �time� and other penalties you face. If you don't know how to represent yourself effectively against an experienced prosecutor intending to convict, then hire an attorney that does, who will try to get a dismissal, diversion program, charge reduction, or other decent outcome through plea bargain, or take it to trial if appropriate. If serious about hiring counsel to help in this, and if this is in SoCal courts, feel free to contact me. I�ll be happy to help, using whatever defenses there may be.