Our San Bernardino DUI defense attorneys explore every avenue to keep you out of jail, save your driver’s license, and dismiss or reduce the charges in your case. We provide DUI defense throughout the area, including Redlands, Yucaipa, Big Bear, Colton, Rialto, and Highland. And we also handle boating under the influence BUI cases in Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and Lake Havasu.
Below, our San Bernardino drunk driving lawyers give you information on popular California DUI law topics and how we can help your case:
- 1. Do I have to give up my license?
- 2. What are the criminal penalties?
- 3. What is San Bernardino DUI School?
- 4. Who makes DUI arrests in San Bernardino?
- 5. Where is the jail?
- 6. Where is the San Bernardino DUI courthouse?
- 7. Who is attorney Michael Scafiddi?
1. Do I have to give up my license?
DUI arrests are unique offenses in California because they open not only a criminal case but also a DMV case. Once a policeman arrests a person for a San Bernardino DUI charge, the officer will confiscate his/her driver’s license and replace it with a thirty-day temporary one. At this point, the defendant has only ten days after the drunk driving arrest to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles to request a DMV hearing to argue against the driver’s license suspension.
It is highly recommended you hire a San Bernardino DUI attorney right away to request the hearing as well as to appear on your behalf. And if the DMV suspends your license after all – and you’re only a first-time offender – you can usually continue driving with an ignition interlock device (IID) installed in their car.
2. What are the criminal penalties?
A San Bernardino misdemeanor DUI arrest results in two charges: 1) DUI under Vehicle Code 23152(a), and 2) Driving with Excessive Blood Alcohol Content under Vehicle Code 23152(b). First time offenders face this sentence:
- three years of probation,
- a six-month driver’s license suspension (though defendants still may be able to drive anywhere if they get an ignition interlock device (IID) installed),
- fines of $390 to over a thousand dollars,
- DUI School, and
- two days of jail time (which we can usually get suspended).
For misdemeanor DUI, a defendant’s attorney can usually make all their court appearances. San Bernardino courts tend to drag out DUI cases over several months, which gives us plenty of time to craft the best defense possible and to broker a favorable deal with prosecutors.
Note that penalties for a second or third DUI can be a lot harsher. And a fourth-DUI in ten years is an automatic felony.
3. What is San Bernardino DUI school?
California DUI School is always a standard penalty for San Bernardino driving under the influence pleas and convictions. A first-offender may be sentenced to a three-to-nine-month program, while second or third offenders may have to complete eighteen- or thirty-month programs. Either way, our attorneys may be able to persuade the judge to order the minimum time.
Two San Bernardino DUI schools which offer first-offender and eighteen-month programs are:
Hase & Associates Systems, Inc.
353 West 6th Street
San Bernardino, CA 92401
(909) 888-0149
Mental Health Systems, Inc.
2282 North Sierra Way
San Bernardino, CA 92405
(909) 881-1570
4. Who makes DUI arrests in San Bernardino?
DUI arrests are conducted by law enforcement officers from the San Bernardino Police Department, located at 710 North D Street, San Bernardino, CA 92401. The phone number is 909-384-5742.
As for incidents that happen on the highway, the arresting police officers will usually be from the California Highway Patrol.
5. Where is the jail?
The San Bernardino Central Detention Center is located at 630 E Rialto Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92415. The phone number is 909-386-0969.
Search online for inmates here.
6. Where is the San Bernardino DUI courthouse?
The San Bernardino Courthouse is located at 351 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino, CA. The phone number is (909) 384-1888.
DUI cases are prosecuted by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. Judges divvy up cases on a random basis. And if defendants plea or are convicted of a DUI, the clerk will give them DUI School information while they are still in the courtroom.
7. Who is attorney Michael Scaffidi?
With decades of experience as a policeman and then as a criminal defense attorney, San Bernardino DUI lawyer Michael Scafiddi is adept at negotiating with prosecutors to throw out or lessen your charges. A former police officer himself, attorney Michael Scafiddi takes advantage of his expert insider knowledge to weaken the state’s case against you and to raise reasonable doubts in the minds of the judge and jury.
A graduate of California Southern Law School, Michael Scafiddi’s expertise extends from misdemeanor DUI and DUI causing injury to felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter cases.
If you get arrested for driving drunk, our San Bernardino DUI attorneys are here to fight for the best possible outcome in your case. And if necessary, we are also prepared to take your case to trial. Phone our 10-point-AVVO-rated San Bernardino DUI defense attorneys at (909) 863-5500 to schedule a free consultation on your legal matter. The law office of Shouse Law Group is located at:
432 N Arrowhead Ave
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Our criminal defense attorneys also provide legal representation to DUI / DWI clients in the Redlands, Yucaipa, Colton, Highland, Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, Needles, San Francisco Bay Area, Berkeley, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Chino, Fontana, San Mateo, Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Clara, Riverside, Orange County, Corona Del Mar, Victorville, Riverside County, West Covina, Inland Empire, Ontario, Pleasanton, Hayward, and elsewhere in north, central, and southern California state.
We defend against all types of charges, from traffic tickets and drug crimes to sex crimes and white collar crimes and domestic violence. Our legal team’s practice areas include personal injury and family law as well as criminal law.
Go back to our San Bernardino Criminal Defense Lawyers main page.