Santa Cruz Criminal Law Blog

Santa Cruz police claim that fingerprints found on an abandoned car led them to two Sacramento men who have now been arrested for theft crimes. Law enforcement believes that the two brothers can be linked to stealing at least five catalytic converters. Although police only believe they can link the two men to five alleged thefts of catalytic converters, Santa Cruz police say that at least 56 catalytic converters have been taken from automobiles in the city since last July. Two other men were arrested in Watsonville on February 1 in an unrelated investigation.

Those two men are also accused of stealing converters from automobiles to be sold to recyclers. Each of the men arrested in Watsonville have preliminary hearings scheduled where the judge will review evidence to see whether the prosecutors have sufficient evidence to have the criminal case proceed. A ruling at a preliminary hearing is not a finding of guilt, but only a determination of whether the state has a minimum amount of evidence for the case to proceed.

Not long ago, this blog discussed the arrest of LA Dodger first baseman James Loney. The ball player was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a car accident in Southern California.

Police apparently suspected the Major Leaguer of being under the influence based upon allegations that he was seen staggering after the freeway car accident occurred. On that night the LA Dodger was taken to the hospital because emergency responders felt that he may have suffered a medical condition.

The Los Angeles City attorney's office says that a blood sample was drawn on the night of the November 2010 car accident. That blood sample was analyzed and prosecutors now say that there is insufficient evidence to proceed with California DUI charges. The blood tests reportedly came back negative for drugs or alcohol.

Media outlets around California are reporting that Hugh Hefner's oldest son has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. News stories claim that police received a domestic violence call Sunday night from the home Marston Hefner shares with Playmate Claire Sinclair.

Santa Cruz criminal defense lawyers are aware that domestic violence charges are treated harshly in California. The law does not require that parties to an alleged domestic violence dispute be married, or even related. The allegations arising out of Pasadena Sunday night involve an unmarried couple-the two have reportedly been in a on-and-off again relationship since Aug. 2010.

Authorities accuse a Pomona man of driving under the influence after a serious car accident on Jan. 28. The man originally was taken to the hospital with at least a broken leg, but was arrested upon release from the hospital on serious felony drunk driving charges.

The man was transferred to the medical unit at the Orange County jail on $1 million bail. He was had several court appearances scheduled during the week for arraignment on murder and felony DUI charges, but authorities say that he has been unable to appear, due to his injuries.

The late January car accident on the 91 Freeway tragically claimed the life of one person and left two other people with injuries, besides the man accused of causing the accident. After the fatal crash, the Pomona man was hospitalized and authorities say an alcohol test returned a result of 0.17 percent BAC.

The California Highway Patrol says that officers discovered more than eight pounds of methamphetamine in a car that had been pulled over for a routine traffic stop last week. A news report in the Red Bluff Daily News does not indicate what police claim was the original basis for the traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of drug crimes after the encounter.

CHP officers say that the stop occurred around 9:00 last Wednesday along Interstate 5. A 38-year-old Washington man driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer did something that officers apparently characterize as criminal activity during the traffic stop. The Daily News report does not specify what that activity allegedly involved.

Often in cases where a person is accused of a crime, new stories are written with one side. A police report is often the only public information available to a reporter, so they publish stories that rely heavily on a police report and have little or no commentary from the person accused.

When a woman was arrested three times in five days last week in Santa Cruz, she wasn't afforded to ability to tell her side of the story about drug charges she is facing or respond to allegations by police. According to one news article, the woman was arrested for intent to commit illegal drug activity early in the week. She was later released. It isn't clear what kind of activity the police say the woman may have committed, and the story did not include her response to the allegations.

In 2010, California began a limited pilot project in driving under the influence cases to test whether ignition interlocks should be used in sentencing for a DUI conviction. The pilot project is being conducted in four counties, and is expected to run through 2016. Sources say that many states are testing the devices in a variety of ways, and roughly 15 states require ignition interlocks in all DUI cases, even for first-time offenders.

Now lawmakers in the nation's capitol are seeking to force states to mandate the use of ignition interlocks in all DUI cases. Ignition interlocks generally are small devices that attach inside the car. The devices act as a portable Breathalyzer-like machine that drivers must use to start the car. The machines come with steep installation fees and monthly charges. If a driver fails the breath test, the car will not start.

While courts have been struggling with the validity and constitutional fairness of the use of technological gadgets used to create evidence in criminal cases, a law enforcement agency in California claims that a facial recognition program has linked two people to three California armed robberies. A sergeant from the Lancaster Sheriff's office says the facial recognition program is "only available to law enforcement."

The technology "is a relatively new program that uses advancing technology to compare clear facial photos to booking photos already in the database," according to the sergeant. Deputies say that a 31-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were arrested last week, based at least in part on the new technology, to which only police have access.

Students who drive to any of the three high schools in Pleasanton may find a new distraction in the coming weeks. While a student is in the classroom, fear of vehicle tampering in the parking lot could be a new burden. The issue involves a new policy of warrantless dog-sniff searches planned for the area schools to control drugs.

School district trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to allow Pleasanton police dogs to stroll through the parking lots of the high schools to conduct random warrantless searches. The dogs reportedly will be allowed inside the physical education locker rooms when students are not present to sniff for contraband. Additionally, the high school principals will be authorized to seek approval to request warrantless searches.