RSSWhile it’s not unusual for a person to face multiple criminal charges after an incident, it is fairly uncommon for drunk driving and domestic violence charges to be paired-up together in a case. However, a woman from Huntington Beach will soon be arraigned on both types of charges after a neighbor’s video revealed a troubling scene.
The video images reveal that on September 7th, the 47-year-old woman apparently got into a verbal altercation with her boyfriend, who was sitting outside on his motorized scooter at the time. The man appeared to be blocking the exit path of the woman’s vehicle, and she began yelling at the man. The woman has been accused of knocking the man off his scooter, getting into her truck, backing-up and hitting the scooter.
A police officer from Huntington Beach intervened and the woman is now facing charges of DUI with a prior conviction, domestic violence and vandalism less than $400. While these are each misdemeanor counts, she could spend up to four years in jail if convicted. She faces what is called a “sentence enhancement” since she has a previous conviction for driving under the influence of drugs.
For his part, the live-in boyfriend decided not to press charges and was not hurt in the incident. In cases of alleged domestic violence, it’s not unusual for one party to later decide not to move forward with charges against the other party. Still, since California features some of the most stringent laws against domestic violence in the country, a prosecution can be aggressive in bringing both charges and convictions against an alleged offender.
Nowadays, video clips are becoming an increasingly important component of criminal charges. Television and internet news sources show countless incidents accompanied by a cell phone video, smartphone camera image or surveillance tape. Still, cameras are rarely able to capture all of the story; while they can be an important part of both the prosecution and the defense, cases usually involve many more pieces of valuable evidence.
For a free initial consultation on domestic violence or DUI charges, contact the Law Offices of Jonathan I. Kelman at 310.286.1218.