San Fernando DUI Defense Attorney

October 24, 2011

Underage Burbank DUI for Hannah Montana Star – 20-Year Pulled Over in Mercedes with BAC “Well Over” the 0.08% Limit

Last week, 20-year old actor Mitchel Musso was arrested for driving under the influence in Burbank underage near Chandler and Buena Vista, according to a report in the La Canada Valley Sun.

The actor, who appeared on Hannah Montana as well as in the 2003 movie, Secondhand Lions, allegedly “drove through the intersection [near an accident scene] and failed to do what the officer instructed him to do.”

Musso, who is probably best known for playing Oliver Oken in Hannah Montana, was pulled over at 3:45 A.M last Sunday morning. He had a BAC of substantially over the limit for driving under the influence in Burbank (0.08%). But since he was underage, any significant amount of alcohol in his system would constitute a crime. Per the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the actor was released after posting a bail of $5,000. No one else was in his 2007 Mercedes during the arrest.

Underage DUI in Burbank is not only a frustratingly serious crime, but it is also a crime that can ruin or cripple a young person’s future.

Obviously, any Burbank DUI is a potential (or actual) tragedy. In this case, Musso was fortunate, in that he did not cause injuries to anyone or to himself. But imagine if he had killed someone while driving DUI underage. Not only might he face hugely serious charges, such as vehicular manslaughter or worse, depending on his background and the circumstances, but he would also face the problem of being “sucked into the system.”

Once you accept the notion that you are a criminal or a DUI driver, you may have a difficult time changing that self image and returning to your previous model of yourself as “upstanding, law abiding citizen.” The way we view ourselves can have profound ramifications for our behaviors, thoughts, and life paths.

Underage Burbank DUI driving should be taken as a major warning sign – a clarion call that you need to get help. You may need the services of a respected, empathetic, and results driven Burbank DUI criminal defense lawyer, such as Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810). You also might need to do some inner work, such as therapy, meditation, and changing your peer group to reduce the negative influences on your behavior.

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers is a former prosecutor for the city of Los Angeles – he spent over 14-years in that role, in fact. Now, as a criminal defense attorney, he brings his wealth of prosecutorial knowledge and experience to bear to help Burbank DUI defendants understand their challenges and meet them in a principled, successful way.

September 28, 2011

Resisting Burbank DUI Arrest? Not a Good Idea. Just ask Ohio DUI Suspect…

by Michael Kraut

The Burbank DUI arrest process is scary, frustrating, and overwhelming – even if you cooperate with officers, avoid making stupid mistakes, and generally keep your cool.

Unfortunately – as we have detailed many times in this blog – DUI suspects often act in ways that radically alter the legal landscape and complicate their chances for developing sound defenses.

Take the case of Ohio DUI suspect Delvin Dewayne Williams, who was recently arrested by Dalton, Ohio police for “allegedly dragging and injuring a police officer while resisting a DUI arrest.”

Now, instead of facing simple but ultimately resolvable charge such as misdemeanor DUI (similar to a standard Burbank misdemeanor DUI charge under CVC Sections 23152(a) or 23152(b)), Williams faces a veritable rainbow of charges including: “Aggravated battery, simple battery against Law Enforcement personnel, first degree forgery, DUI, willful obstruction by threat or violence (two counts), giving false information, reckless driving, and failure to yield when entering or crossing a roadway.”

Yikes.

Here is a more blow-by-blow description of what Williams allegedly did after being pulled over at a service station near Highway 41 and Shugart Road. An officer walked Williams through multiple field sobriety tests and gave him a breath test. Williams allegedly clocked in at 0.23 BAC – nearly three times the limit for a Burbank DUI, according to CVC 23152(b).

The real action began when a police officer named Collins tried to take the suspect into custody. As reported on www.chattanoogan.com: “[Williams] resisted, breaking free and getting into his car. Officer Collins chased Williams and went halfway into the driver’s side door to try to pull Williams back out of the car. Williams managed to start the car and began to accelerate sharply, dragging the officer from the door, and throwing him from the car as he headed towards the highway.”

It took police officers a day or so to track Williams down (he fled after his escape). But now that he is in custody, he faces a barrel of legal trouble. He is actually lucky, in some sense, because he could have severely hurt or even killed the police officer during the getaway. If that had happened, he could have faced monumental charges, including life in prison.

This case illustrates a point that any reputable Burbank DUI criminal attorney will emphasize to you: What you do after your DUI arrest or stop matters profoundly.

It’s important to keep your head. Even if you have made mistakes (driven away from the scene of an accident, for instance) the more mistakes you add to those, the more trouble you’ll likely be in. Obviously, when your adrenaline is rushing – especially if you are simultaneously under the influence of drugs or alcohol – you stand a good chance of making irrational and dangerous decisions. But take some time to compare the differences in the Burbank DUI penalties for first-time, nonviolent misdemeanor arrests against penalties for Burbank DUI with hit-and-run, injuries, or other charges. There’s a world of difference.

Whatever happened to you, it’s never too late to start making sensible decisions. Connect with Burbank’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810) today to get a complete analysis of your options. For nearly 15 years, attorney Kraut worked as a prosecutor, rising to the level of Senior Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles. He uses all of his experience, talents, and relationships with members of the Burbank DUI legal community to help his clients meet their needs.

September 19, 2011

Do You Have Multiple Glendale DUI Arrests? Maybe You Are Getting the Wrong Advice about How to Treat Alcohol Addiction

by Michael Kraut

Penalties for Glendale DUI convictions become harsher the more times you get arrested and convicted.

A simple misdemeanor DUI conviction – for the first time – might lead to a little bit of jail time, license suspension, mandatory alcohol school, significant probation, and a not-insignificant amount of embarrassment. But these penalties pale in comparison with the penalties associated with a third or fourth Glendale DUI conviction within 10 years. Depending on circumstances, you might face felony charges for what would only be a misdemeanor charge for a first-timer.

On some level, everyone recognizes this. Getting arrested multiple times for the same crime is not a good thing to do. Bad things will happen.

How do we break the cycle? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer. But new thinking in the addiction research community suggests that traditional methods to treat alcohol as an addiction might do a disservice to many people who desperately need help.

One of the most popular ways of treating alcoholism is to send the alcoholic to a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. One key step in this program is to “admit you are helpless” in the face of alcohol. Most take that as a given – that we have to “surrender” control to some higher power to reclaim our lives and our bodies.

But not so, says Harvard University psychiatrist Dr. Lance Dodes, author of The Heart of Addiction. He argues that addicts engage in their addictive/destructive behaviors as a means of self-empowerment. Dr. Dodes suggests that many addicts start to feel better as soon as they make the mental decision to go have a drink – NOT as soon as the alcohol touches their lips.

This suggests that there is a deep psychological mechanism at play that has less to do with the chemical effect of the alcohol on the brain than it does with the effect of the decision to consume alcohol.

Dr. Dodes’ thesis is basically that the 12-step approach is backwards. We should not disempower addicts by telling them that they are “helpless,” Dodes argues, but instead look for ways to re-empower them and help them understand the forces in their lives that make them feel out of control. The next step is to motivate them to reassert control in positive ways, which will help them stop self-destructive behaviors like drinking and getting into Glendale DUI accidents.

It’s certainly an interesting theory, and you can check out more about it at his website, www.lancedodes.com.

For immediate help with your Glendale DUI defense, connect with Glendale criminal defense attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) to explore how to manage your scary, frustrating, and overwhelming situation. As a former prosecutor and media expert on Glendale DUI matters, attorney Kraut has the credentials, wherewithal, knowledge, and compassion to deliver a powerful defense and fight for your freedom.

September 14, 2011

Bizarro Burbank DUI Arrests the Blogosphere Would Go Nuts Over

by Michael Kraut

Rabblerousers in the blogosphere (e.g. Perez Hilton) like to shake things up and make Burbank DUI news stories sound more bizarre then they often are.

Sure, occasionally some crazy news will cross the police blotter. A B-list celebrity might be arrested for driving 80 miles per hour on Olive at 2a.m. with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.24. Or a demented homeowner might jump on a riding lawnmower and putter off towards downtown Burbank while under the influence of homemade absinthe.

But most of the time, Burbank DUI news stories are fairly mundane examples of misdemeanor DUI stops, checkpoint arrests, and the occasional tragedy.

Obviously, in an ideal world, there would be no more Burbank DUI arrests, since people would no longer ever even think about driving under the influence. But we don’t live in a perfect world.

But sometimes it seems like the media would like more outrageous and hysterical stories, such as the following:

Fictitious Burbank DUI Blog Item #1: “Unicyclist Bikes DUI and Knocks Over a Clown Juggling Bowling Pins on Victory Boulevard”

“Police have detained 34-year-old unicyclist Booggoms McGooggoms after he recklessly rode his unicycle into a clown on stilts who was juggling pins while practicing for a circus performance. The police stopped McGooggoms on Victory Boulevard near Trader Joe’s and administered field sobriety tests. They reported that his breath smelled like alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked “spaced out.” The unnamed clown was reportedly uninjured, but he lost several pins and will now have to make use of Evian water bottles for his act.”

Fictitious Burbank DUI Blog Item #2: “Burbank Man Arrested For 345th DUI in Three Weeks”

“Dumbo McStupidpants, 52, of Burbank, was recently arrested for the 345th time for driving under the influence within just a span of three weeks. His latest stop occurred Saturday night near downtown, when police noticed his 1996 Chevy Impala tipped over on its side and saw that the driver was yelling obscenities at passersby. It was unclear at the time even how McStupidpants found the time to get arrested 345 times within a 21 day span, let alone how the legal system failed the community on this one.”

All joking aside, a Burbank DUI can carry extremely serious, life-changing penalties. If you injure someone, destroy property, or commit multiple driving infractions and other crimes while DUI, your legal battle could be that much harder and more emotionally challenging.

The team at Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810) can help you understand what tactics are available for you and help you think more strategically about what you need to do (and what you should stop doing right now) to maximize your defense. Attorney Kraut is a Harvard Law School educated Burbank criminal defense lawyer with a rich and diverse track record and a demonstrated capacity to help even the most challenged defendants.

August 31, 2011

Burbank DUI Penalties: How Might They Measure up to Paris Hilton’s Ex’s DUI Plea Deal?

by Michael Kraut

If you have been charged with driving under the influence in Burbank, you are probably biting your nails, wondering what the law might have in store for you.

Meanwhile, last week, just one state away, Cy Waits, the ex-boyfriend of celebutante Paris Hilton, took a DUI plea deal stemming from a 2010 Las Vegas strip traffic stop. Waits was fined $585, ordered to attend victim impact classes, and given a suspended jail sentence of 30 days.

Not too bad.

Indeed, it could have been a LOT worse for the 35-year-old Waits. As the AP reports, “Waits was arrested August 27, 2010, after a Los Vegas police officer reported a ‘vapor trail’ of marijuana smoke lofting from a black Cadillac Escalade with Waits at the wheel. Hilton, a passenger in the vehicle, was arrested after the police said a small bag containing 0.8 grams of cocaine fell from her Chanel bag, as she reached for a tube of lip balm.”

Prosecutors originally leveled both felony and misdemeanor drug charges against Waits, but later dropped them.

Judge Kephart did warn Waits: “if you are arrested for another DUI during the pendency of this case, I don’t care if it is alcohol or drugs, you will do six months in the Clark County Jail.”

Without knowing the details of your Burbank DUI arrest, it’s difficult to predict what your outcome will be. If it was a standard misdemeanor DUI with no other complications (i.e. you didn’t injure anyone, you didn’t commit a hit and run, you weren’t considerably over the limit, etc), the penalties might be similar to those Mr. Waits faced. But you should still connect with an experienced Burbank DUI criminal defense attorney to plan your next steps.

On the flip side, if this is your second, third, or fourth arrest within the past 10 years, your Burbank DUI penalties are liable to be much more severe. You could face significant jail time, fines, fees, humiliation, and long-term problems – such as higher insurance rates, problems getting hired, loss of professional reputation, etc.

The moral is: Your decisions from here on out matter greatly.

Attorney Michel Kraut of Burbank’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810) will help you work through your complex, scary situation and guide you toward a systematic, smart legal defense. Attorney Kraut has a fantastic track record and a nearly 100% success rate with jury trials. He has built a reputation as an aggressive, knowledgeable, strategic attorney and he has also been a regular pundit and commentator on local and national media as an expert in Burbank DUI Law.

August 23, 2011

Burbank DUI with Alcohol and Mean Girls: Lindsay Lohan Thrashes Ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson after Ronson’s DUI Bust

by Michael Kraut

You might think that people who have been arrested for driving under the influence in Burbank or elsewhere in SoCal would be able to bond over their experiences. Especially if those two people were once friends and lovers. But that’s not always the case…

As this blog reported a few weeks ago, DJ and party girl Samantha Ronson got pulled over near Bakersfield and arrested for driving under the influence while en-route to LA from the city that never sleeps. According to Gather.com, Ronson allegedly called her ex-girlfriend, Lindsay Lohan – one of the most famous faces of all-time in the Los Angeles DUI blogosphere – expecting, possibly, consolation and commiseration.

Instead, allegedly, the “mean girl star turned mean for real and lambasted her former girlfriend, taunting her, calling her names, and laughing at her current misfortune. “Wow, you turned out to be a fine example…” LiLo sneered. “You think you would have learned something from all those hours of boring lectures you gave me!”

The Gather.com article said that the conversation between the exes was “loud” and “ended with Ronson yelling that she would never call her evil ex again and then slamming down the phone.”

Obviously, this story is a bit salacious. Ronson and Lohan were, at one time, tabloid staples. But the story illustrates a deeper truth about the Burbank DUI process. Specifically, surprises abound. You might expect one person in your life to be sympathetic, but be surprised to be met with scorn and opprobrium. Conversely, you might discover resources that completely change your life for the better, such as a strategically focused Burbank criminal defense attorney (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810).

The attitude with which you face your Burbank DUI charge can make all the difference. If you look at what’s happened to you – and the possible penalties you face – with a “woe is me” attitude, that’s not resourceful or productive, nor is it even entirely true.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t face up the reality, acknowledge the possibly paralyzing legal situation you are in and take positive and powerful action to fix your problems. But your arrest and charges can lead to self-growth and the cultivation of new and resourceful perspectives on your life. Yes, you might face surprising setbacks even after the surprising arrest. Like an ex-boyfriend, girlfriend, family member, or friend being far less than sympathetic and rubbing salt on your wounds.

But you also have the opportunity to change things and transform your life for the better. Connect with Burbank’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers to discuss your case in confidence with Harvard Law School-educated former prosecutor Michael Kraut and begin the process of constructively and resourcefully navigating your future.

August 15, 2011

Burbank DUI Penalties Abolished? Perhaps if Michel Moore Gets His Way and the Nation Elects Matt Damon as President….

by Michael Kraut

Burbank DUI penalties are notoriously unpleasant.

As this blog has blogged about umpteen times, if you are arrested and convicted – even for a misdemeanor – you could lose your license for a year, serve jail time, pay colossal fines and fees, and even suffer the indignity of paying to install an interlocking ignition device (IID) in your vehicle.

Not exactly something you want to show off on a first date.

Some people think that our draconian Burbank DUI process is in serious need of reform. But what kind of reform? Who knows. But if the liberal firebrand Michael Moore has his way, the reform could be handed down by none other than President Matt Damon.

You read that right.

Last week, Michel Moore “endorsed” Damon to be President. In a recent statement, the progressive filmmaker said this about the 40-year-old Damon, “I think that he has been very courageous in not caring about who he offends by saying the things that need to be said here… sometimes even when you run an actor, you win. And I guess I only throw his name out there because I’d like us to start thinking that way.”

Obviously, it’s more than a little bit of speculation to suggest that Michel Moore’s endorsement would catapult Damon to launch a progressive challenge against Barack Obama in the 2012 election, win the election, and then make it a priority to reform Burbank DUI laws. There are probably multiple flights of fancy and gaps of logic in that sequence. But it’s worth at least mulling over hypotheticals like this.

So much of our laws are based on arbitrary historical precedents. Someone decided a certain law, restriction, or punishment was a good idea; that idea stuck, and it paved the way for our current thinking. And so, it’s useful, healthy, and even invigorating to play with speculations like, “What if President Matt Damon legalized marijuana?” Or “what if President Damon radically changed America’s view on DUI, distracted driving, and other driving dangers?”

Obviously, the speculation is quite ridiculous. But it’s intentionally so. Because it’s trying to break you out of your old ways of thinking about DUI policy and practice.

Of course, there is a very pragmatic element here – particularly if you or a loved one faces a Burbank DUI charge. You want someone who is an expert in Burbank DUI, someone with credentials, and someone who is respected not only by clients but also by their legal peers (including prosecutors and judges).

Connect with Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810). Attorney Kraut is a highly-esteemed Burbank criminal defense attorney and can help you understand your rights and responsibilities as a defendant and make smarter choices.

August 2, 2011

Burbank DUI: Will It Be Eliminated Entirely Thanks to New Technologies?

by Michael Kraut

What causes people to drive under the influence in Burbank, and what can stop them?

These questions obsess lawmakers, policymakers, police, and analysts who cover news about DUI in Los Angeles, Burbank DUI, Pasadena DUI, and Glendale DUI.

Most solutions concentrate on driver behavior. Policymakers try to deter drivers from consuming alcohol, narcotics, and prescription medications before getting behind the wheel. And they punish people who violate these rules and laws — not only to send a message but also to “clear the roads” of dangerous drivers.

A new movement has cropped up that’s focusing on looking beyond behavior. This new crop of DUI analysts believes that technology may be able to play a vital role in terms of reducing the number of crashes and the severity of injuries.

A recent story in the Washington Examiner analyzed a proposed Maryland law that would compel anyone convicted of driving DUI with a BAC of 0.15% or greater to install an interlock ignition device (IID). (0.15% BAC is nearly twice the BAC for Burbank DUI, as specified in California Vehicle Code Section 23152).

As this blog has discussed at length, California has started a mandatory IID installation program of its own – and Los Angeles County is one of the test counties.

This technology-centered approach to ending DUIs makes some sense.

But rather than getting mired in the debate about the rightness or wrongness of this conclusion – one could probably also paint an argument that first time offenders are penalized too much – let’s think bigger picture.

Maybe correcting behavior alone is not enough. And maybe technology won’t solve our problems either. Maybe we need a solution that is more humanistic, diverse and social science based. In other words, instead of continuing to trust old broken systems or shooting for the moon and hoping that some random new technology will solve all our problems, let’s take a deeper look at what makes drivers do the things they do.

One hard to ignore factor is social contagion.

Human beings like to fit in. That’s a deep human need. Peer pressure is an enormously powerful factor. And policymakers surely do not leverage this factor well enough.

For instance, we all know that Burbank DUI arrests spike around national holidays, like New Year’s Eve, the 4th of July, and the Super Bowl. This is because there is a social contagion effect going on. More people party. More people drink. More people get behind the wheel.

Thinking in terms of social contagion leads us to cool new solutions. For instance, what if we focused on making DUI behavior look less cool? We need not necessarily increase punishments. Rather, we need only source and address the core, often counterintuitive motivating factors. Perhaps we would make better progress.

In any event, from a practical point of view, if you have a question about a Burbank DUI, you likely want to speak with a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. Mr. Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor Burbank, California 91505 (818) 563-9810) has ample experience – not just as a defense attorney but also as a former prosecutor. His experienced on both sides of cases gives him a profound and unique vantage, which he can bring to bear to deliver strategic results for you.

July 29, 2011

Burbank DUI Brouhaha: Hines Ward’s Arrest Sparks Critical Tweet from Ray Rice: Steelers and Ravens at it Again, Months Before Pre-Season…

by Michael Kraut

Burbank DUI sports news often follows a relatively simple, predictable script.

An athlete – such as four time pro-bowler and “Dancing with the Stars” champion like the Steelers’ Hines Ward – gets pulled over for a crime like driving under the influence in Burbank, DUI in Pasadena, Glendale DUI, Los Angeles DUI, or DUI whatever – and then the athlete and his/her team launches into a double-pronged defense:

1. Deal with the legal and logistical fallout of the arrest.
2. “Spin” the publicity to minimize damage to the athlete and/or his/her team or league.

As this blog (we believe, astutely) pointed out last week – back when everyone was huffing and puffing about the Carmageddon disaster that wasn’t – the Steelers’ wide receiver’s July 9 arrest outside Atlanta, Georgia sparked far more publicity than Ward, the Steelers, or probably the NFL as a whole would prefer.

But the drama isn’t over.

The latest salvo was fired in cyberspace… by none other than Baltimore Ravens’ runningback, Ray Rice, who tweeted, chidingly, that Ward’s alleged actions were “not a good look.”

Side note: You may or may not know this, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are huge rivals. So when a Ravens star publicly scolds a Steelers star, you can expect sparks to fly.

If you are concerned mostly with Burbank DUI news, you might not be aware of just how viscerally Ward’s arrest (and Rice’s retort) impacted citizens on those two east coast cities. But the broader lesson here is the sheer unpredictability of the story.

While the press obsessed about Carmageddon (and barely even touched on the Hines Ward story), guess which story had more “legs”? Surprise – the Ward story did.

This kind of unpredictability holds true not just for sports DUI arrests – but also for “every day” simple misdemeanor arrests for things like violating California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) or 23152(b) in Burbank. Obviously, most people who get arrested take their situations seriously. But what they may not realize – or at least not fully grasp to the extent they should – is that the law of unintended consequences is almost certain to “visit” your case and create challenges that you did not anticipate.

So what do you do?

As author Nassim Taleb illustrated so nicely in his book, The Black Swan, you cannot predict, with 100% accuracy, these disruptive “bolt out of the blue” events. But you can prepare against them! For instance, by retaining an experienced, creditable Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to build your Burbank DUI case, you can increase your odds – not just of general success – but also of being able to manage “bolt out of the blue” type surprises without getting stressed out and without compromising the quality of your defense.

Attorney Michael Kraut (of Burbank’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers –  2600 West Olive Avenue, 5th Floor, Burbank, California 91505 Phone: (818) 563-9810) can help you understand your options and build a strategic defense. Mr. Kraut is a former Harvard Law School educated former LA city prosecutor, and he provides free, confidential consultations.

July 25, 2011

Glendale DUI and 2012 Presidential Election: Could Crenshaw County Arrest Derail “Dark Horse” Presidential Candidacy?

by Michael Kraut

A Glendale DUI arrest might have radically altered your life and, potentially, your family’s future. But an even more profound (at least from the perspective of national politics) arrest took place last Sunday in Crenshaw County, Alabama, when Caleb Moore, the 20-year old son of possible presidential contender Roy Moore, got pulled over on suspicion of speeding. Police arrested Moore on charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and controlled substances and driving under the influence. Now how, you might ask, does Mr. Moore’s arrest tie back to both the 2012 presidential campaign and to issues germane to those who’ve recently been stopped and charged with Glendale DUI, Pasadena DUI, Burbank DUI, Los Angeles DUI, etcetera?

Let’s go slowly, and we’ll tie it all together.

First, understand that Moore’s arrest creates a certain degree of trouble for his father’s presidential aspirations. Roy Moore, if you might recall, is an extremely conservative former Alabama Supreme Court Justice who famously was removed from office for refusing to remove a monument of the 10 Commandments from the court’s lobby. This defiant act made him a hero to many social conservatives. Given that Moore tried to cultivate a persona as a morally upstanding figure, his son’s arrest might damage his image.

According to the Washington Post, Roy Moore is refusing to talk about the details of the arrest “because his son has applied to be treated as a youthful offender.”

But rather than get side-tracked on a tired discussion about political morality and hipocracy, let’s think about this situation from a more compassionate point of view. Many people – including friends, family members and co-workers – are quick to “judge” anyone arrested for driving under the influence in Glendale. Even if you clear your name by, for instance, showing that you passed all of your Glendale field sobriety tests or that the police made a mistake, you may find yourself subjected to a lot of subtle moral judgments.

How do you deal with all of that?

The answer is trickier than you might think. If you really do have a problem with alcohol — or even with impulsive decision-making in general — you want people to tell you the truth. You want to address the root causes of that behavior. On the other hand, you want to be able to separate yourself from your DUI arrest – to avoid having the arrest become a kind of albatross hanging around your neck, dragging down your self esteem, your work prospects, and infecting your relationships with colleagues, friends, and family members.

Cultivating the most appropriate response begins with getting good help. Glendale’s Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers (121 W Lexington Dr, Glendale, CA 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123) can provide a free consultation to help you sort out your strategic options. Mr. Michael Kraut, an experienced and highly regarded Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, will work with you to help you come up with a plan that meets your needs, goals, and principles.