Palm Springs DUI Attorney

Our Riverside County DUI defense attorneys help clients defend against drunk driving charges in and around Palm Springs, Indio, Coachella Valley, Palm Desert, Cabazon, Cathedral City, and Twentynine Palms. For a free consultation, call (760) 430-0400. Our office is located at:

777 E Tahquitz Canyon Way Ste. 200
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Phone: (760) 430-0400
Fax: (760) 513-9965

On this page, our Palm Springs DUI lawyers discuss the following essential information about California DUI Law and how we can help you:

Palm Springs DUI lawyer Michael Scafiddi

The DMV Hearing

The Criminal Case

DUI Penalties

Palm Springs Jail & Courthouse Information

Palm Springs DUI Schools

Palm Springs DUI lawyer Michael Scafiddi, Esq.

"Know thy enemy." As a former police officer and sergeant, Palm Springs DUI defense lawyer Michael Scafiddi has years of experience in watching cops make crucial mistakes and misjudgments in handling drunk driving cases. Consequently, attorney Scafiddi is now better equipped than most other lawyers to identify every weak spot in the state's case against you, which he then uses them to try to persuade the prosecutor to dismiss or significantly reduce your charges.

In addition to being an effective negotiator, Palm Springs criminal defense lawyer Michael Scafiddi is also a seasoned trial attorney having himself testified in numerous drunk driving cases. Michael Scafiddi received his J.D. from California Southern Law School and is a Court Certified Drug Recognition Expert. He practices throughout Riverside County, including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Twentynine Palms, Cabazon, Cathedral City, Indio, and Coachella Valley.

Palm Springs DMV Hearings in connection with a California DUI arrest

Often the most inconvenient aspect of being arrested for Palm Springs DUI is not the criminal charges but instead the DMV case. The moment you're booked for drunk driving, the police officer will confiscate your drivers license and replace it with a pink one that's good for only thirty days. Meanwhile, you (or your attorney) must contact the Department of Motor Vehicles within TEN days of the arrest in order to request a hearing to contest your license suspension. If your drivers license does get suspended, it can last four months or more depending on your criminal history.

Our Palm Springs DUI defense attorneys are happy to request the DMV hearing for you and appear on your behalf, cross-examine witnesses and present evidence. We can also usually secure you a "restricted license" that allows you to commute legally to your place of work or school without fear of arrest. For further information on this process, please skim our article on DMV hearings in connection with a California DUI arrest.

The Criminal Case in connection with a Palm Springs DUI arrest

People arrested for DUI in Palm Springs can expect to face two misdemeanor charges: 1) Vehicle Code 23152(a), and 2) Vehicle Code 23152(b). The DUI may be charged as a felony, however, if you already have three drunk driving convictions in the last ten years or if someone was hurt.

California DUI cases typically last several months if not longer, with the first court date often not occurring until well after the arrest. We act quickly, however, to compile evidence and research the facts surrounding your case in an effort to persuade the prosecutor to lessen or throw out the charges completely. Furthermore, we can usually appear for you in court throughout the entire case so you don't have to take time off school or work.

Palm Springs DUI Penalties & Sentencing

The goal of our Palm Springs DUI defense lawyers is to have your DUI charges reduced if not dismissed completely. But if someone does plead to or is convicted of California misdemeanor charges for driving-under-the-influence (Vehicle Code 23152(a) and Vehicle Code 23152(b)), the judge will usually order the following penalties on a first offense:

• Six to ten days of Riverside County Jail or work release



• Fines ranging from the mid hundreds to a thousand dollars or more



• Probation of three or more years



• A suspended drivers license lasting for a few months, though we're usually able to secure a restricted license that allows driving to and from work



• a three-to-nine month California DUI School program (see below for more info)

Obviously, successive DUIs have harsher penalties, including bigger fines, longer DUI School courses, and mandatory jail. Also, the judge may order an ignition interlock device to be installed in your vehicle. (An ignition interlock device is a breathalyzer that won't allow the car to start unless the driver is sober.)

Palm Springs Jail & Courthouse Information

People arrested for DUI in Palm Springs are usually booked and released at either the Palm Springs Police Department or the Indio Jail:

Palm Springs Police Department
200 S. Civic Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 323-8110

Indio Jail
46057 Oasis Street
Indio, CA 92201
(760) 863-8252

Depending on where the arrest took place, DUI cases will be prosecuted by either the Palm Springs City Attorney or the Riverside County District Attorney and will be heard in the Larson Justice Center (also called Indio Courthouse):

Larson Justice Center
46200 Oasis Street
Indio, CA 92201
(760) 863-8206

(Defendants who are convicted of or plead to driving-under-the influence will be given California DUI School information by the Indio Courthouse courtroom clerk.)

Juvenile arrestees, meanwhile, may be detained in Indio Juvenile Hall and charged in Indio Juvenile Court:

Indio Juvenile Hall
47665 Oasis Street
Indio, CA 92201
(760) 863-7600

Indio Juvenile Court
47671 Oasis Street
Indio, CA 92201
(760) 863-8992

Palm Springs DUI Schools

California DUI School is a standard penalty for all Palm Springs defendants who plead to or are convicted of driving under the influence. If it's your first DUI, the judge will probably order a three-to-nine month alcohol education program (depending on your criminal history and BAC levels at the time of arrest). Successive DUIs can result in eighteen or thirty month programs.

Two Palm Springs DUI Schools are:

Alert Program
Programs: First Offender
730 Eugene Rd.
Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 322-7725

Awareness Program
Programs: First Offender; Eighteen Month
1700 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Ste. 6
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 322-4554

Have you been arrested for DUI in Riverside County?

Then we want to defend you and fight to minimize, if not eliminate, the consequences. To set up a free meeting with a Palm Springs criminal defense lawyer, call (760) 430-0400 ASAP. We'll do everything to help keep you out of jail and save your drivers license. We practice throughout the Coachella Valley, including Indio, Palm Desert, Cabazon, Cathedral City, and Twentynine Palms.

Join us to discuss your DUI case at any of our
local offices: You can also contact us 24/7 at
888.327.4652 for a free consultation