Turned my DUI charge into a dry reckless.
Julie Crawford was a godsend during such an awful time. I am a mother and have my own business. When I was thrown into jail by the Monterey police and treated like a criminal, I couldn't even begin to accept what was happening. On the way back to my hotel after dinner, I made a turn down a one way st...reet at night, where the hotel was located. I am not from the area, and didnt realize it was one way until I began to turn. I saw the sign and was able to safely pull into the vallet. The police officer on the corner intersection pulled behind me and asked if I had anything to drink. I had just had a glass at dinner. He put me through a field sobriety test, in which I complied and was able to complete each one easily. It didn't matter how I did, because they were going to arrest me anyway. They wrote so many thing in the report to try and justify the arrest, regarding my appearance and behavior. They were awful to me and I felt so helpless. They sent me to the Salinas county jail where I was put into a small, filthy cell, where the toilet is exposed to everyone there, and given no information about when I would be let out. I spent two days sitting there without sleep. I was desperate to have someone help me and prove that I was not deserving of this charge.
I first called a lawyer who seems popular in the Salinas area. He did nothing but talk about how great he was, and went on about off topic information, like cars, until telling me my case was hopeless and I'd probably go to jail. He didn't believe me or take the time to hear me. He said he wouldn't review the tapes from the holding facility, which I knew would help my case!
I was in such a deep depression over this and just needed someone to treat me fairly. Julie was so kind to me. She let me tell her every detail and didn't cut me off once. She took each phone call and answered every question. She honestly cares. I could feel it. She had so much compassion and did everything she could to collect evidence. After retrieving the video footage from the holding facility. She took the time to watch this lengthy tape, and said that it was exactly what we needed. Because I was taken directly to this facility after the arrest, we were able to disprove everything that the officer said about my demeanor and state of being. It was clear that I was not drunk.
She asked the District Attourney to watch it, and after review, he agreed.
They lowered my charge to a reckless. I accepted the charge to avoid going to trial and dragging out what makes me sick to think about--that night.
Julie will always have my respect and appreciation for her work to provide me justice. She is knowledgable and trustworthy. She even called me on the weekend from her cell phone to provide me information.
She is a great lawyer, but is also very grounded. She treats you as a priority.
I'd recommend her to anyone! You won't be sorry.