The Ventura County Law Partnership of Schwartz Powell defends against DUI charges in the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ojai, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Westlake and throughout Ventura County.

This year city police agencies, the CA Highway Patrol and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office participated in checkpoints throughout Ventura County during the July 4th weekend.

Schwartz & Powell are Ventura lawyers who defend against all BUI and DUI charges.

Beginning December 14th, 2012, there was a countywide crackdown on DUI drivers in Ventura County. 106 drivers were arrested so far during the winter holiday as law enforcement set up checkpoints in the county and many others on the highways. During the holidays especially the police are looking for any sign of drug or alcohol impairment in drivers.

Schwartz Powell has an unparalleled record of success defending Ventura County DUI cases. You can't win drunk driving cases if you don't try them and Schwartz & Powell tries them when they need to be tried.

DUI defense requires knowledge and training your ordinary family lawyer may not have. For example, the validity of BAC tests is not necessarily shown by the results shown on breath testing devices. These individuals need the services of the best Ventura criminal defense lawyer they can find.

The dirty little truth about plea bargaining is this: innocent people plead guilty to charges for which they are not actually guilty so as to avoid the risk of greater sentences should they be convicted at trial. People’s risk tolerance can trigger a surrender syndrome causing them to plead guilty merely to get out of jail in a reasonable time.

Any Ventura County criminal defense lawyer knows it costs a fortune to prosecute death penalty cases. I knew this when I was a Deputy District Attorney for Ventura County prosecuting capital murder. Nothing defending death penalty cases has changed my mind.

What I would like you to think about today is the cost of the death penalty system in California. It costs a lot of money the State can't afford.

Ventura County criminal defense lawyers with any substantial experience realize, when the proof is there, a defendant should know about and consider plea bargaining. Not every criminal charge should go to trial.

Ventura County lawyers are uniquely positioned to honor the memories of all who have fallen in defense of their country, their brothers and sisters at arms, and their U.S. Constitution.

Jim Morrison of the Doors would be the last person in the world to teach Driver Safety Classes but for all his issues his lyric perfectly states what a driver’s duty is--pay attention.

Inattentive driving will have you talking to a Ventura County criminal defense lawyer faster than you can say “reckless driving …driving under the influence . .. vehicular manslaughter or murder.”

Spring is here and summer nears. We should all have a lot of fun at the beaches, lakes, mountains and deserts near Ventura. But be careful. Drunkenly and recklessly causing any injury of significance could easily elevate too much sun and wine into a prison case. California criminal law is full of pitfalls for the unwary.

Spring is here and summer nears. We should all have a lot of fun at the beaches, lakes, mountains and deserts near Ventura. But be careful. Drunkenly and recklessly causing any injury of significance could easily elevate too much sun and wine into a prison case. California criminal law is full of pitfalls for the unwary.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution used to prohibit unreasonable search and seizures. The present United States Supreme Court seems not to understand this fundamental principle of constitutional and procedural criminal law.

The Death Penalty faces a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" vote in November 2012 when the punishment hits the California ballot. Earlier this week 800,000 signatures of registered voters looking to abolish the barbaric practice of killing convicted killers have been delivered to Sacramento. The demise of State authorized homicide will be in the electorate's hands this election year.

On February 21, 2012, the United States Supreme Court in the case of Messerschmidt v. Millender granted civil lawsuit immunity to police officers executing an invalid search warrant.

Criminal defense lawyers are worth their weight in gold depending upon their weight and the price of gold at any given moment.

If you have warrants out for your arrest, the only advice a responsible criminal law lawyer can give you is “Clean them up." For many reasons surrender is your most advisable option.

Ventura DUI defense lawyers at Schwartz & Powell and throughout the county now face a new special prosecution unit within the DA’s Office. The State of California recently approved a special DUI grant to the DA’s office of slightly under $400,000.00 to fund two drunk driving prosecutors, support staff and ancillary costs, such as training and other support.

Most people believe their rights under the Fifth Amendment to remain silent and not allow police interrogation must be respected by law enforcement. After all, the Fifth Amendment is the law so why would law enforcement try to break the law by violating Miranda? That doesn’t make good common sense. Don’t we want to ensure the police don’t browbeat citizens suspected of criminal conduct? Don’t the police want to obey the law in conducting their business?

The old Abbot and Costello “Who’s on First . . .” comedy bit is a riot. Regrettably it is all too true for Ventura criminal defense lawyers who must fight wrongful identification testimony and citizens wrongfully accused of and then convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. Any case depending on eyewitness identification depends on the witnesses’ ability to perceive, to recollect and to relate his or her observations accurately; and from time to time the examination of such witnesses does sound a bit like the Abbot and Costello routine. But it is not so funny when one’s life or liberty or fortune hangs in the balance. This type of evidence is notoriously unreliable. Any experienced Ventura lawyer knows this.

Many years ago most juvenile crimes were not severely punished.

All this is possible because the Prosecution has police chemists who routinely testify that a driver’s blood alcohol is above .08 and the driver is therefore impaired or Driving Under the Influence (DUI).

If a a crime is committed by a targeted group of African Americans or Hispanic youths who associate with or become members of a "criminal gang" the alleged offender is often looking at more jail or prison time - and it can be decades - than an offender not so affiliated or associated.

I just read in the paper 254 folks were arrested for DUI over the past 17 days in Ventura County. I’m sorry to hear that the New Year now necessarily will include quickly contacting, especially within the first ten (10) days of your arrest, a criminal defense lawyer experienced in DUI and vehicular crimes defense. Schwartz & Powell is the firm to call to ease your pain.

This New Years weekend don’t be surprised to have a police officer stop you at a roadblock to chat with you about your recreational activities.