Home > Research Legal Advice > Criminal Defense > Battery DUI and Driving on a Suspended License in California
Asked 12 months ago - Van Nuys, CA
FlagA couple years ago I was charged for a battery offense and a year later I got a DUI. I got I had to go back to court for a probation violation for the battery charge and had to do a bunch of AA classes for the probation violation (since the first battery was alcohol related). I just got caught for driving on a suspended license and have a court date set for a couple months from now. All three violations are in different court’s. What is going to happen to me and should I even get a lawyer? Is there a way to combine everything into one sentence for jail or a fine in one court visit? I am afraid that I will have to go to three different court’s after they find out about this violation. Should I tell the public defender about my other charges when I go to court for this in a couple months?
You are going to possibly have more issues than the Driving on a Suspended License. Why? because this may also most probably prompt a probation violation (if you are on probation on any of these cases). Most people think that this is not important and its just a driving offense. But it is a driving offense that can put you in jail.
You should definitely get an attorney and you should definitely get a free consultation from an attorney.
Elliot Zarabi
www.FreeCriminalConsultation.com
213-612-7720
First, absolutely tell your public defender about all the cases. The worst thing you can do is leave them in the dark, because if there is a way to combine some of the punishment or terms of probation, they need to know about the other charges. As for what you are facing, it depends. One of your terms of probation on the DUI and the battery case was to remain law abiding. For the DUI, you were also probably ordered not to drive without a valid license and insurance. So, the new offense can be a probation violation for each of the previous offenses if you are still on probation. But, the prosecutors on the other cases may not seek to have you violated on probation. Review all of this with your lawyer. They will be able to tell you what you are looking at.
In addition to the driving on a suspended license, you also may have some exposure for violating probation in the other two cases. Whether or not probation gets violated may depend on whether the cases are in different counties as opposed to different courts. Additionally, in every driving on a suspended license case I have ever handled, it has ALWAYS benefited my client to have gotten their license back prior to resolving the court case.
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