California Criminal Lawyer Blog

The state's budget director was arrested recently and charged with suspicion of driving under the influence after police allegedly spotted her swerving while driving near the Capitol, The Sacramento Bee reports.

Charges of DUI in Sacramento not only carry criminal penalties, but also public embarrassment. In cases where a public official or celebrity is involved, the media can report extensively on it for months or years.

Our dedicated Sacramento DUI defense lawyers are prepared to help any defendant who gets caught up in such a charge. While DUIs are on a sharp decline nationwide, law enforcement and lobbying groups are still treating DUI issues like an epidemic. Police departments hold frequent DUI checkpoints, and they run television, print and online advertising campaigns.

DUI is one of the most frequently cited charges filed by police. A person charged with driving under the influence may not realize they are committing a crime if their blood-alcohol level is 0.08 or above. People can be legally intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 but not feel the effects like a person who has a blood-alcohol level of 0.04 based on weight, consumption and time factors.

The Sacramento Bee story shows that a one-time mistake can lead to a lot of frustration. California Finance Director Ana Matosantos, 36, was arrested and charged with suspicion of DUI, a misdemeanor charge.

Police spotted her car driving near the Capitol and saw the vehicle swerving. Officers also saw that her registration had expired. After making the stop, police conducted field sobriety tests and a breath test. Police refused to release the breath test results, the newspaper is reporting.

Matosantos offered her resignation, but it was declined and she is still working for Governor Jerry Brown. She is the first finance director in state history to be appointed by two governors of different political parties and she is thought to be the youngest.

While Matosantos gave a statement saying she had a lapse in judgment and took full responsibility for the incident, her employer decided to forgive her and keep her employed. Many other drivers aren't so lucky.

There are plenty of companies that will fire a worker simply for an arrest, which is no proof that a crime has been committed. Yet, this is commonplace in America. While a defendant looks forward to the fact that our criminal justice system is based on the notion of innocent until proven guilty, many employers don't see eye-to-eye with that idea.

They sometimes adhere to a zero-tolerance policy where an arrest means an automatic loss of job. In our difficult economy, this can be devastating. While an acquittal may not get a person's job back if they are fired, it certainly can't hurt. And for companies that will consider a probationary period until the case is resolved, fighting it aggressively is mandatory.

Even in cases where a person isn't employed, a DUI conviction can be expensive, so it must be aggressively fought. And picking up a criminal record after a conviction can make life in the future more frustrating also. Consult with a DUI attorney in Sacramento if you should ever find yourself in such a predicament.