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It’s a theme this blog often covers: Someone gets stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence in Burbank (or elsewhere)… and that’s when the REAL trouble starts. Like-father-like-son-dui-burbank.jpg

In other words, the suspect does something stupid after the police have already stopped him or her, and the net result is a hugely more problematic situation.

As an experienced Los Angeles DUI attorney will tell you, your Burbank DUI penalties can escalate wildly if you commit crimes after the fact, such as hitting a police officer, spitting a breathalyzer test back at the police officer, resisting arrest, committing a hit and run, etc.

A crazy case out of Central Pennsylvania illustrates how badly things can go wrong after the fact. Twenty-four year old David Peterson, Jr., was arrested after police found him passed out in his vehicle. The young man had a BAC of over twice the legal limit (the Burbank DUI legal limit, as defined by CVC Section 23152(b) is 0.08% BAC). No doubt scared and intimidated, Mr. Peterson called his father, 44 year old David Peterson, Sr., who promptly hopped in his vehicle and drove to the station to pick him up.

Surprise—the elder Mr. Peterson also had alcohol on his breath. After admitting to police that he had driven to the station, Mr. Peterson submitted to a breathalyzer test and was found to have a blood alcohol concentration of 1.5 times the state’s legal limit. So guess what? He, too, got arrested for DUI.

On some level, this father-son DUI arrest sounds amusing: We leave it to the reader to speculate on the potential Freudian issues at play. On another level, it speaks to the point we were talking about earlier about how Burbank DUI suspects often engage in, shall we say, less-than-strategic behavior after the police arrive.

The younger Mr. Peterson faces a preliminary hearing on February 15, while his father faces a hearing on February 22.

Here are some good rules of thumb to help you stay out of trouble AFTER you’ve been tagged for a Burbank DUI:

1. Speak with a Los Angeles DUI lawyer as quickly as possible.

A good attorney can help you collect and synthesize evidence and statements, challenge police reports and tests, and generally give you a strategic path to avoid things like significant jail time, massive fees and court costs, California drivers’ license-related punishments, etc.

2. Remember that the past is past.

Although you may regret consuming alcohol, narcotics, or medications and then getting behind the wheel, you can’t undo the past. If you get stuck ruminating over what went wrong, you won’t learn the appropriate lessons from what happened. Accept that what happened, happened. And move on by making smarter choices going forward.

3. Learn from what went wrong.

Even if the police wrongfully arrested you or messed up their investigative work or breathalyzer testing, you likely made some mistakes that put you in a position to become a criminal defendant. Spend some time thinking about and writing about what went wrong, and what you can do next time to circumvent that kind of problem.

For help with your defense needs, connect with an experienced Burbank DUI criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810). Michael Kraut is an experienced former prosecutor (Harvard Law School educated) who has won the respect of peers and delivered results time and again at jury trials.

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The law is the law. Driving under the influence in Pasadena (or elsewhere in the Southland) can be punished pursuant to California Vehicle Codes 23152(a) or 23152(b)…or, if you caused injury to someone, by the harsher CVC Codes 22153(a) and 22153(b).pasadena-bradford_dui.jpg

No one wants to have to find a Los Angeles DUI lawyer to fight these charges and deal with the hassles of punishments like license suspension, mandatory alcohol school, mandatory interlock ignition device installation, fines, court costs, jail time, insurance hikes, destruction of personal reputation, etc.

But at the very least, if we’ve been accused of a DUI in Pasadena, we can take heart that the law will treat us just like it would treat any other citizen. After all, this is America.

Or is it?

Steven Colbert style humor aside, a news story out of Denver, Colorado has some observers scratching their heads: are some Pasadena defendants, in fact, more privileged than others?

The Scoop Out of Denver
In late January, Denver police nearly arrested Republican representative Laura Bradford for DUI. Nearly, but didn’t. Bradford was driving erratically, after she attended a “lobbyist happy hour” function. It’s unclear whether or not she was actually above the legal limit for DUI in Pasadena (or Colorado or wherever) of 0.08% BAC. But critics have accused the lawmaker of “invoking legislative immunity” to get out of her DUI charge.

A spokesperson for the Denver Police Department, Matt Murray, issued an apology for harassing Bradford. Curiously, Bradford reportedly told the sergeant who pulled her over that she had a firearm at her car. In Colorado, if you drive DUI with a firearm, you can be tagged with a significant misdemeanor.

Meanwhile, the political implications of this “DUI that wasn’t” could really stir the pot of Colorado’s politics.

Currently, Colorado’s house is almost totally divided between Republicans and Democrats: 33 to 32. Bradford now may face an ethics investigation. She’s apparently furious at the “lack of support” she’s received from Republican colleagues. She’s even hinted that she might switch parties. If she went from Republican to Independent, Colorado politics would be momentarily thrown into turmoil, since the House would have to elect a new speaker. If she flipped to the Democratic side, the Democrats would control the ball game.

Not every Pasadena DUI case is as dramatic and fraught with political implications, obviously.

That said, you want to connect to a Los Angeles DUI attorney who has the capacities, resources and experience to help you, if your case does become complicated or convoluted. So even if your situation seems simple now – perhaps you just got pulled over at a checkpoint and tagged for driving under the influence in Pasadena with a BAC of 0.10% or something (no injuries or vehicle damage, etc) – the seeming simplicity of your case may be misleading. When your Los Angeles DUI lawyer delves into your case, who knows what he or she might find? You need to be prepared to face anything the prosecutors will throw at you.

To that end, consider connecting today with Pasadena DUI criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut of Pasadena’s Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (790 East Colorado Boulevard, 9th floor, Pasadena, California 91101 Phone: (626) 345-1899). For nearly a decade and a half, Mr. Kraut served as a city prosecutor (going after people for crimes like DUI) before switching over to become a criminal defendant. Connect with this well-established, highly reputable, Harvard Law School educated attorney today to solve your Pasadena DUI defense issues.

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Last November 14th, LA Dodgers first baseman James Loney was busted and charged with driving under the influence in Los Angeles, after he crashed his Maserati into two other cars on the freeway. James-Loney-los-angeles-DUI.jpg

The 27-year old apparently spat a breathalyzer mouthpiece at one of the police officers and demonstrated symptoms that any Los Angeles DUI lawyer would tell you could get you in serious trouble with the law. Per TMZ.com: “Loney’s behavior was incredibly bizarre…[he] exhibited eyelid tremors and his shirt was soiled and moist from perspiration, from his armpits down to his waistline.”

From the headlines, the case sounded cut and dry. But lo and behold, twists and turns have happened, as they often do, as any established Los Angeles DUI attorney will tell you.

The toxicology reports on Loney came back NEGATIVE. That means the prosecutors do not have evidence to pursue his case. The LA City’s Attorney’s Office has dropped the matter.

No drugs and no alcohol. Interesting.

Loney’s arrest obviously captured the city’s imagination. He plays for Dodgers. Also, it’s not every day that you see a Maserati spinning wildly out of control and crashing into vehicles on the freeway. Incidentally, Loney just inked a deal with the Dodgers for $6.4 million. Next year, he will be eligible to be a free agent.

But not every LA DUI arrest is as flashy. If you or someone you love was involved in a more pedestrian (meaning: “less dramatic” not “I was walking”) experience of Los Angeles DUI, you might wonder how this story could be relevant to your defense.

After all:

A) You’re not a first baseman for the Dodgers.

B) You do not (presumably) own a Maserati.

C) You know better than to spit a breathalyzer mouthpiece at a police officer (presumably).

Fair enough. Also, you have no way of telling, from the news reports alone, what actions Loney’s Los Angeles DUI attorney did (or did not) take to help him. Obviously, the negative toxicology reports certainly didn’t hurt his chances of getting exonerated.
But you should never count on good luck to get you out of a tight spot!

Instead, even if you’ve been accused of committing a relatively minor offense, like a misdemeanor Los Angeles DUI, in which no one was hurt and no damage was done, you can make a significant progress towards a better outcome simply by choosing your Los Angeles DUI criminal defense attorney carefully.

Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1520, Los Angeles, California 90028) is a highly reputable former city prosecutor (14-plus years as a Senior Deputy District Attorney). He boasts a Harvard Law School education, wide respect from peers (and opponents) in the court system, and an excellent record – nearly immaculate, in fact – at jury trials.

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In an ideal world, Burbank DUI arrests would never happen. burbank-dui-paradigm-shift-part-2.jpg

But we don’t live in an ideal world. Far from it.

Instead, we live in a world in which Burbank DUIs are all too pervasive. What’s more, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, police, and the public all operate with false beliefs about the underlying causes of Los Angeles DUI and alcohol and drug addiction. Our inability to “move the needle” and permanently solve problems like Burbank DUI leads to needless suffering, traffic accidents, ruined lives, wasted law enforcement resources, wasted court time, and nasty indirect consequences for our entire city and country.

The Conventional Thinking
The conventional mindset about Burbank DUI prevention (held by many a Los Angeles DUI lawyer) is somewhat fatalistic. The CW suggests that Burbank DUI drivers “just don’t get it” and that they need to be punished and stripped of their rights to make Southern California’s roads safer. The problem, per the CW, is that certain drivers behave carelessly, recklessly, or otherwise inappropriately. These Burbank drivers must be bridled.

But is our punitive, blame-and-judgment-rich approach to DUI prevention really getting us anywhere?

Advocates of the current anti-DUI regime might say Yes. They might point to bright spots in the research, which suggest, for instance, that Burbank DUI checkpoints lead to more arrests and safer roads. You can also find data that suggest that certain types of fatal DUI injury accidents have declined over the past decade or so.

Granted. But DUI is still a pervasive problem. As any Burbank DUI attorney will tell you.

Perhaps the Burbank DUI community could benefit from a bird’s eye perspective on the process. What if we examined our core beliefs about what works and doesn’t work in terms of changing driver behavior, managing DUI-related problems and costs and helping drivers solve those problems more effectively?

Perhaps, for instance, we could think about road safety differently.

Here’s an idea, for starters: Discourage Angelenos from driving so much!

How? By doing things like eliminating sources of free parking. A recent Los Angeles Weekly article about parking theorist Donald Shoup highlighted Los Angeles’ obsession with free parking. Shoup suggests that our free parking fetish has led to many of our city’s most nasty traffic and pollution problems. By eliminating sources of free parking, perhaps we could discourage drivers from driving as much as they do.

Think about it: the fewer miles that drivers clock, the fewer DUI driving miles will be clocked as well!

We will speculate in greater depth in a follow-up post. In the meantime, if you or someone you care about was recently arrested and charged with Burbank DUI, you may need to speak with a Burbank DUI lawyer.

Consult with an experienced Burbank DUI criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810). Michael Kraut is a former city prosecutor (14+ years experience in that position); he is hugely respected by his legal peers, and he boasts a terrific record at jury trials.

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In a post earlier this week, we talked about how Burbank DUI prevention theory is stuck. burbank-dui-paradigm-shift.jpg

Law enforcement agents, politicians, and even defense attorneys and defendants in LA all often assume that they understand why DUIs occur and what needs to be done to prevent them. For instance, if you were recently stopped for Burbank DUI, your first thought might have been to blame yourself:

• Why did you “act out” and refuse to accept the ride from your designated driver?
• Why did you decide to get behind the wheel after consuming a prescription medication?
• Alternatively, perhaps you are ruminating over how “unfair” the stop was. You believe, for instance, that the Burbank DUI stop was Unconstitutional, or that the breathalyzer test was administrated poorly, or that the police made an error.

Odds are, however, that you have not stopped to contextualize your Burbank DUI stop outside of your own actions and the actions of police. It’s hard to have a 30,000 foot view when contemplating jail time.

Problem is, decoupling your experience from larger trends can be dangerous! (Ask any Burbank DUI lawyer.)

For instance, it’s well documented that Burbank DUIs occur disproportionately on holidays like New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, etc. Clearly, events outside of an individual’s control cause or at least heighten the possibility that you will get stopped for driving under the influence in Burbank. Sure, your own misjudgments and the police’s actions might have been important as well. But a national holiday may have played a key, particularly decisive, role in your situation.

The point here is that we can probably make substantial progress in managing and even preventing many Burbank DUIs, if we consider different strategies and tactics to address the root problems. Sure, let’s definitely continue to focus on how to modify driver behavior and educate law enforcement agents about best practices.

But let’s ALSO consider how the engineering of Burbank’s freeways and surface streets might play a role in dangerous driving. And let’s ALSO consider how seemingly tangential, indirectly related factors might play a role in either incentivizing or disincentivizing DUI behavior.

For instance, perhaps drivers who drive on dirty freeways or who drive under stress are more likely to commit a DUI. A Burbank DUI attorny can only infer so much about causality from correlation. But we can at least look at different associations among seemingly unrelated factors.

The amount of trash you have in your car, for instance, hypothetically could be correlated with your likelihood to drive DUI. If so, it may turn out that doing something as simple as keeping your car clean reduces your likelihood of getting arrested for Burbank DUI.

The point is to illustrate that good solutions to your problems might be out there… and they might be unexpected. The way to find these solutions might be to conduct experiments, ideally in conjunction with law enforcement, to try to “out-think” ourselves and our own destructive instincts and impulses.

On a less theoretical note, if you or someone you love needs help with a Burbank DUI defense, connect immediately with the team at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810). Attorney Michael Kraut is a pre-eminent Burbank DUI criminal defense attorney. He was a successful prosecutor for over 14 years.

As a Burbank DUI lawyer, he remains a “go to” expert on Burbank DUI for media like the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, Fox News, The New York Times, etc. Attorney Kraut can give you a free consultation to help you figure out your strategy.

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Per TMZ, Judge Stephanie Sautner recently told Mean Girls star Lindsay Lohan: “keep doing what you’re doing… you appear to be doing very well.” It’s a shocking turn of events for anyone who has followed Lohan’s Los Angeles DUI saga, an epic tale that is nearly five years old at this point. The actress’ probationary report was practically filled with gold stars. It’s a huge difference from her November 2011 hearing, when prosecutors revealed that Lohan missed more than 75% of her scheduled therapy and neglected her community service at the L.A. County Coroner’s Department. lindsay-lohan-los-angeles-dui.jpg

Could January 17, 2012, go down as a huge pivot point for Lohan?

Not only did Judge Sautner smile at the 25-year-old pop star, but the progress report was apparently “lightning fast,” and Lohan completed enough of her requirements to attend a Sunday night Golden Globes party hosted by none other than Harvey Weinstein. The next court date for Lohan is February 22. Before then, she needs to spend 15 more shifts at the morgue and undergo five more counseling sessions. Once she hits her March 29 deadline, she can move on to unsupervised probation.

Of course, as a Los Angeles DUI lawyer would tell you, many of Lohan’s troubles could have been avoided if she had never driven under the influence of alcohol in Los Angeles in the first place. But her ability to rise like a phoenix from her legal troubles suggests that even recidivist Los Angeles DUI offenders can repair the damage to their lives and make progress. They can manage their punishments (or potential punishments) and learn powerful lessons from their experiences.

One of the most difficult aspects of being a Los Angeles DUI defendant is figuring out what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

If you lack a fluent understanding of how Los Angeles DUI law works, you may need help, such as a free, no obligation consultation with a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (6255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1520, Los Angeles, California 90028). Attorney Michael Kraut is a widely respected figure in the Los Angeles DUI defense community. He boasts a terrific record at jury trials. He has a Harvard Law School education. He served for nearly a decade and a half as a prosecutor. And he possesses a compassionate and attentive demeanor as a Los Angeles DUI attorney.

Attorney Kraut and his team can answer your questions, help you build a sound legal strategy, and deal with any challenges or opportunities that present themselves.

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The experience of getting pulled over under suspicion of driving under the influence of Burbank (or elsewhere in the Golden State) can be explosive. burbank-dui-injury-shooting.jpg

Drivers and passengers are often terrified about what might be in store. Even if you consumed no alcohol, narcotics, or prescription medications, you’ve certainly heard stories about innocent people being arrested for Burbank DUI without compelling evidence. Any good Los Angeles DUI attorney can recount dozens of these types of stories.

On the flip side, police officers themselves are often suspicious and scared, particularly if the suspect led them on a high-speed chase or otherwise resisted arrest or disobeyed an officer’s instructions. It’s easy for such suspicions to escalate and create not just hostility, but also fighting, injuries, and occasionally, fatalities. Los Angeles DUI lawyers can recount some truly devastating stories.

Consider the tragic case of a Santa Clara DUI stop gone awry.

The Saturday night before last, a 42-year-old man was pulled over on suspicion of DUI on Karen Drive in Santa Clara. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the suspect “became uncooperative, and the city police officer called for backup…before additional units could arrive, the suspect reached for a revolver.” The arresting officer then fired at the suspect in self-defense, killing him in his car. The officer has since been put on administrative duties, pending the results of internal Santa Clara Police Department investigation, done in conjunction with the Santa Clara County DA’s office.

Fortunately, most Burbank DUI stops don’t end so tragically. But the lack of trust — combined with the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere of a Burbank DUI stop — can cause officers and suspects to behave inappropriately, uncooperatively, and dangerously.

For instance, a Burbank DUI suspect may compound his or her potential legal problems by trying to flee the scene or by becoming overly aggressive (or defensive or even groveling) with an officer. As a Los Angeles DUI attorney will tell you: when you act inappropriately – with excessive fear, uncertainty, or aggression – you boost your likelihood of getting into more trouble than you deserve.

Likewise, police officers are liable to compound problems at DUI traffic stops by making drivers unnecessarily uncomfortable. Simple judgment errors or problems with breathalyzers can lead to innocent people being arrested for driving under the influence in Burbank and lead to a general waste of limited taxpayer resources and energy.

How Can We Make the Burbank DUI System Function More Effectively?

The big takeaway here is that police officers, defendants, Los Angeles DUI lawyers, and others need to stay present to the needs and concerns of others as well as to their own needs and concerns.

If you have been stopped for a Burbank DUI after a hit and run, for instance, stop the cycle of bad decision-making and limit your damage. Even if you are still recovering from a horrific night, the team here at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810 )will help you figure out what to do next and to be more strategic in how you approach your legal situation. Attorney Kraut is a vastly experienced, Burbank DUI criminal defense attorney who is highly respected by his peers. As a former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles and a Harvard Law School graduate, Attorney Kraut will help you make more effective decisions.

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You (or perhaps a close friend or a family member) recently got charged with driving under the influence in Pasadena. Perhaps the arrest was a standard misdemeanor, in which case you will likely be hit with charges per California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a) or 23152 (b). Or maybe you slightly injured someone or caused property damage, in which case you may face more advanced charges per CVC 23153 (a) or 23153 (b). In any case, you are in hot water and desperate straits, even if you have a great Los Angeles DUI attorney. pasadena-dui-wrong-way.jpg

How could things be worse?

That’s not just a rhetorical question. It’s an important question to ask. Indeed, if you’re alive to read these words, things could, indeed, have been worse! As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, once observed, it’s important to pay attention to the “dog that didn’t bark.”

In other words, things have gone wrong. You have gotten into trouble. You have been arrested for Pasadena DUI, for instance. You may need a Los Angeles DUI lawyer. But it’s supremely useful to look at the counterfactuals – all the things that could have gone wrong, but didn’t.

Example of Pasadena DUI counterfactual: Seattle woman survives crazy DUI journey (17 miles of wrong-way driving at a 100 miles per hour!)

According to an Associated Press report, a 60-year-old female was stopped on Interstate 5 in Washington after driving 17 miles north in the southbound lanes. Officers said that her speed ranged from 38 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour, and she managed to evade multiple spike strips.

Amazingly, “while several drivers reported near-misses, there were no collisions and no injuries.”

Pamela Drawsby was eventually stopped when officers closed the freeway ahead of her, and troopers found her to be a “calm” woman who “had no idea where she was.” Her blood alcohol tests showed that she was above the 0.08% limit for Seattle DUI (as well as Pasadena DUI). Their early intuition was that the woman had been on some prescription medications in conjunction with the alcohol. In any event, the situation was miraculous. A local truck driver, Rick Ingraham, discussed his close encounter with the wrong way sedan on King TV “[I didn’t even realize the sedan] was on my side of the road until it almost hit me…I almost had a heart attack.”

The story is certainly terrifying, especially when you contemplate all the near misses. But it illustrates a profound fact about Pasadena DUI stops and even accidents: No matter what trouble you are in now or how bad the stop or accident was, odds are that the situation could have been worse, as your Los Angeles DUI lawyer will tell you.

Of course, if you are facing remorse, fear over your possible sentence, uncertainty, and other negative emotions right now, knowing that “it could have been worse” may not make you feel much better. A Los Angeles DUI attorney here at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (790 East Colorado Boulevard, 9th floor, Pasadena, California 91101 Phone: (626) 345-1899 ) in Pasadena is here to help you. Attorney Michael Kraut is a widely respected, Harvard Law School-educated Pasadena DUI criminal defense attorney who will use his skills as a former prosecutor to help you navigate your best path forward.

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The number of ways a Pasadena DUI accident could lead to injuries and fatalities is vast. Probably infinite. But there are certain types of accidents that are very unlikely to occur. For instance, DUI snow-cat arrests are zero every year because of Pasadena’s year-round warm weather.dui-truck-accident-pasadena.jpg

What about horses?

Could Pasadena witness a DUI accident or fatality involving horses or other riding animals? The question does have some public interest. Consider that last week, Illinois authorities sentenced a Michigan man to 14 years in jail for killing a female horse rider while driving a truck DUI.

According to an AP report, Angus Lake had been partying one night in April last year at a local Michigan racetrack. Two women at the same party went out to ride their horses. Confused, Lake went to search for them in his truck. Bad idea. He ran into 25-year-old Michelle Eustis on her horse, killing her and seriously hurting the other woman. Prosecutors allege that Lake’s BAC was nearly twice the legal limit for Illinois (or Pasadena) DUI of 0.08%.

Injury DUIs in Pasadena are charged according to a special set of laws, California Vehicle Code Sections 23153 (a) and 23153 (b). Technically speaking, as a Los Angeles DUI lawyer will tell you, these CVC codes are distinguished from the “standard” Pasadena DUI CVC codes by just a single digit – 23153 instead of 23152. Don’t be fooled. 23152 and 23153 are worlds apart in terms of what they mean for sentencing. For instance, the difference for you could mean a misdemeanor charge and a felony charge (which can radically alter your life in ways that misdemeanors cannot).

Of course, myriad factors go into prosecutorial decisions. How did the injury accident happen? Was the other driver at fault or partially at fault? How were the BAC tests conducted? Were they properly calibrated? Did the officers make any errors of procedure or somehow violate your constitutional rights? The questions are seemingly limitless.

To meet your challenges, therefore, it really helps to connect with an experienced Pasadena DUI defense attorney, such as the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc.’s Michael Kraut. Attorney Kraut is a Los Angeles DUI lawyer who has worked in the trenches of Southern California DUI Law for nearly two decades. He spent 14+ years as a Deputy DA for the city prior to switching to help criminal defendants in his role with the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (790 East Colorado Boulevard, 9th floor, Pasadena, California 91101 Phone: (626) 345-1899).

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Kris Reed, aka “Kid” from the famous 1980s rap duo Kid ’n Play, was arrested last August for driving under the influence near the Long Beach area. The tabloids did not cover this much at the time; indeed, this blog – normally eagle eyed regarded all things Long Beach DUI – did not carry the story, either.chris-kid-reid-long-beach-dui.jpg

But now the situation has changed. According to a breaking report from tmz.com, a warrant has been issued for the rapper’s arrest, pursuant to charges that he failed to attend a progress hearing on his 2010 arrest.

As TMZ reports, Reed made the exact same mistake last July, when he no show-ed at a different court hearing. Reed made light of his situation, telling a reporter for the celebrity gossip website: “I’ve got DUIs I’m ducking!”

As any Los Angeles DUI lawyer will tell you… and as this blog has reported innumerable times – especially with respect to Lindsay Lohan’s never-ending, tragic DUI ring cycle — Long Beach DUI defendants often make their situations vastly more complicated by failing to follow simple instructions from their attorneys and abiding by the law on and off the road.

The fact is that a Long Beach DUI – even one involving significant damages and injuries – does not have to mean the end of your license, your career, or your record of good citizenship. Indeed, when properly approached, a Long Beach DUI arrest – and even a conviction – can be a profoundly pivotal point in your life – an opportunity to learn more about yourself, to strengthen your resolve, to rededicate your life in a positive fashion. Prosecutors and judges do recognize when defendants are sincerely contrite. If you take the steps to defend yourself properly (with the help of an experienced Long Beach DUI criminal defense attorney) and address the root problems that got you into trouble, you may walk away from your experience happier, more conscientious, and more focused on success.

Attorney Michael Kraut at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. (444 West Ocean, Suite 800 Long Beach, California 90802 Phone: (562) 531-7454) can help you develop and execute a common sense, highly strategic approach to your defense. Mr. Kraut is a former prosecutor and current Los Angeles DUI attorney. He was educated at Harvard Law School. He has a fantastic record at jury trials and has won great respect from his peers in the legal community.

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