Shafter Court Criminal Defense Lawyer

                            

If you were arrested for any criminal or traffic violation in northern Kern County you will likely be ordered to appear in the Shafter-Wasco Branch of the Kern County Superior Court.  The Court is located at 325 Central Valley Highway, Shafter CA 93263.

                              Call Us Toll Free 1-877-204-5953

All DUI cases are prosecuted by the Kern County District Attorneys office.  Most cases that are sent to the Shafter branch court originate from interstate 5. Among the many cases our office has handled over the last 15 years are driving under the influence, reckless driving, child endangerment, commercial traffic violations and DWI, drug possession, speeding in excess of 100 mph, gun charges, and all manner of criminal law offenses.

Having an upcoming appearance before a Judge in an unknown Court can be a very stressful experience that is why it is best to retain the services of a local aggressive criminal defense attorney familiar with the Shafter judiciary.  Our law firm has defended hundreds of cases in Shafter and we know the ins and outs of the system.

Our successes include dismissal of DUI charges, reductions to lower violations such as non-alcohol related charges and filing motions challenging the initial stop and detention by the police.

The U.S. Supreme Court articulated the standard officers require as a justification for a detention in Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968). The Court held that when an officer observes specific and articulable events that give rise to a reasonable suspicion that illegal activity, such as DUI,  may be underway then the officer is justified in detaining and questioning the individual. The requisite suspicion must derive from facts and inferences from those facts. Such suspicions cannot lead to a mere hunch that something is amiss. More is needed. The facts producing the officer’s suspicions must be objectively reasonable at the time, taking into account all of the circumstances attendant to the detention. 

If the CHP or other police officers do not have a justification for making the initial stop (i.e., at least a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is underway), everything that may happen afterwards (e.g., evidence of intoxication, guns or drugs are found) will be inadmissible in Court. Any evidence that might have been used against the suspect, such as FST's, breath or blood tests, etc.  becomes tainted by the police misconduct and will be thrown out as the result, or fruit, of an unconstitutional detention. This is known as the exclusionary rule.

Our attorneys are very familiar with the law relating to legal and illegal traffic stops and have had cases thrown out where CHP officers and other law enforcement have violated our client's rights.  If you or a loved one has been stopped and arrested by police in Kern County Shafter area you owe it to yourself to hire a lawyer to challenge the constitutionality of the incident.

                              

Our Kern County attorneys have appeared in the Shafter Court (above) more than 500 times on various criminal cases, when looking for a lawyer to handle your case you should ask whether his or her familiarity of the District Attorney and Judges is similar to ours, this makes a huge difference in how the case will resolve. 

Contact us today for a one on one consultation with the lawyer that will handle your case.