Criminal Defense Archives

Attending school is a daily practice for children and teens. California’s compulsory education law requires children six to eighteen to be enrolled in school. Although, there are exceptions when students legally ‘drop out’ early. When skipping school or maintaining a poor attendance record, parents and underage children may face repercussions and legal penalties in some cases for truancy. Understanding truancy and education laws about California’s school rules and regulations may help you best understand your case as a parent or legal guardian. Students arrested for truancy and additional charges may also benefit from knowing their rights and how an attorney may help in any case. At Dod Law, our legal team works diligently to defend any individual facing charges related…

Self-driving cars were once a futuristic and technological advancement. Still, now that it has come to life, it’s not uncommon to encounter cars with autonomous capabilities worldwide. Many consumers have purchased vehicles with different levels of autonomy, such as driver assistance, conditional automation, or Tesla’s infamous auto-pilot system. Common questions many people have regarding these vehicles are who is responsible for violations in a self-driving car and if these violations are punishable in a courtroom. In these cases, the supervising driver or owner is not absolved of the duty to drive while obeying traffic laws and concerning the safety of others. Consulting with an attorney may benefit you if you are given a traffic ticket or are facing charges for…

Under the fifth amendment, every person taken into custody by law enforcement for any suspected crime or violation has the right to avoid self-incrimination. Police officers are trained to conduct arrests and notify perpetrators of their Miranda rights. When failing to do so can impact the proceedings of a case. Although, failing to inform an arrestee of their Miranda warnings does not constitute the dismissal of a crime altogether. Instead, these cases are handled by omitting the possibility of the prosecution using any self-incriminating evidence against the defendant. If you are taken into custody without Miranda warnings, hiring an attorney at Dod Law may help you avoid mistakes and lessen imminent consequences that may still apply upon a criminal conviction….

Medical emergencies, often stemming from traffic accidents, occur every day. Sometimes life or death hinges on whether a passerby stops to help in these dangerous situations. This might include providing various types of medical assistance, even when untrained. Consider a situation where someone pulls a driver from a burning vehicle, but the driver has a back injury from the impact of the crash. Moving them made the injury worse and left the driver paralyzed. However, had the person not helped, the driver would have likely died. Fortunately, California and other states have laws that protect people who help others in emergencies, called Good Samaritan laws. Below we take a closer look at California’s Good Samaritan law, examples of situations where…

Sex offender registries in California and throughout the country have the rule that sex offenders must register for life. However, California recently changed its sex offender registry laws so that not every sex offender must register for life. The new laws create a three-tiered system with different requirements based on the specific sex crime for which someone is convicted.   If you have been convicted of or charged with a sex crime in California, you should consult with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Being placed on the sex offender registry can impact your life in negative ways. An experienced lawyer can help you fight your charges and also help you determine when and if you could be…

If a child bears witness to a crime like domestic violence, they may be subpoenaed to testify in a criminal court. Testifying before a judge and jury can be incredibly stressful for children and their parents, especially if one parent is the defendant. While it may be impossible to keep your child from experiencing this stress, it is vital to be aware of your legal options to protect your and your child’s rights. If you have been charged with a crime in California and suspect your child may be called to testify, do not hesitate to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney. At Dod Law, APC, we have 18 years of experience defending the rights of the criminally accused and…

Despite being different crimes that carry different penalties, many Californians use the terms theft, burglary, and robbery interchangeably. If you face any of these charges, it is essential to understand the difference and your legal options to protect your rights. Fortunately, an experienced criminal defense attorney can help you understand the charges against you as well as your best path forward for fighting them. At Dod Law, APC, we are committed to ensuring our clients have the knowledge necessary to fully understand their rights, options, and charges they face. Attorney Dod has worked on over 6,500 criminal cases and has a proven track record of successfully helping his clients achieve justice. When you partner with him, you can have peace…

The United States Constitution guarantees every American the right to free speech and assembly and to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Sometimes, however, those rights conflict with an order from a law enforcement officer who commands you to do something or tries to put you under arrest. Disagreeing with the police is your right, but that right can sometimes become limited during an encounter with the police.  You’re not alone if you think that seems confusing and vague. Lawyers, law enforcement agencies, and the courts constantly wrestle with where to draw the line between lawfully disagreeing with a police officer and unlawfully resisting arrest. Let’s take a look at how they resolve this sometimes tricky question. Your Right…

Misdemeanor and felony crimes in California are generally punishable by terms of incarceration. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone convicted of a crime in California will spend time in jail or prison. Many can receive terms of probation that allow them to serve their sentences without being incarcerated. To get probation instead of incarceration in California, you must be eligible for probation and your criminal defense attorney must convince a judge that you deserve to receive it in place of jail or prison time. Here’s a look at the legal and factual considerations that go into whether the judge agrees to your lawyer’s request.  California’s Definition of Probation The California Penal Code defines probation as “the suspension of the imposition…

As criminal defense lawyers, we constantly have to battle against popular myths about what the police can and cannot do. One of the most common misconceptions we hear from our clients who face criminal charges has to do with whether the police can lie to you. So, let’s get that cleared up right away. In California, the police are allowed to lie to you in the course of investigating crimes, including when interrogating you as a criminal suspect. However, there are limits to police lying, too. Law enforcement may not use lies to produce a false confession or coerce someone into waiving a constitutional right. Let’s take a closer look at what that means. Deception Is a Common Tool of…