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February Update

David Butterfield Feb. 2, 2023

A criminal case can put your freedom at stake in many different ways, at many different times and points in the process. Sam has gotten results at every stage of the proceedings recently for his different clients. Let him put that success to work for you! 

In one case, Shannon had already had the worst day of her life by the time the police showed up. While she and her girlfriend were loading up their truck after a day of boating, the truck got knocked into gear and rolled into the water and started sinking - with Shannon inside it. Were it not for a good Samaritan who sprinted over to pull her out, she may well have drowned then and there. But that was just the beginning. She was met by a park ranger who began giving her DUI tests within minutes after she was pulled out. Shannon had been drinking - but she was never driving, as many witnesses pointed out. She should never have been even under investigation for a DUI, yet she was arrested and spent the night in jail, and a few months later was on trial for her freedom. Fortunately, she made the decision to hire Sam.

The prosecutor, like the cops before her, was so eager to send Shannon to jail that she didn't turn over crucial evidence until after the jury was sworn. Witnesses were supposed to begin testifying the next morning, but it never got that far. Sam convinced the judge to dismiss the case based on the evidence violation, and the prosecutor's supervisors had to be called in to clean up the mess. Thanks in part to Sam's help, Shannon walked out of the courthouse that day as she should have walked away from the initial incident - free and clear.

In another case, Henry (who did not live in California) went to the DMV in his home state to renew his license there, and they told him he had a warrant for his arrest in California from nearly a decade earlier. Not exactly a pleasant surprise. So, Sam got to work for Henry. The right to a speedy trial is enshrined into the constitution of both the US and California. If the government accuses you of a crime, they have a responsibility of making sure you are aware of it, and able to defend against the accusations or personally answer for the crime. Within a few weeks, Sam helped clear the warrant, and within a few weeks more, successfully argued that the case should be dismissed because Henry's right to a speedy trial was violated. Henry never had to set foot in California.