Solano County DUI Lawyer
Fairfield, Vacaville, Vallejo CA DUI Defense Attorney
Michael Rehm – (707) 225-0731
Four interstate freeways and five state highways pass through Solano County. Solano County Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers patrol those highways, together with miles of county roads, in the pursuit of impaired drivers. Local police in Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville and smaller communities also prioritize DUI arrests.
DUI Arrests in Solano County
According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, 1,759 drivers were arrested for DUI in Solano County during the most recent year for which statistics are available. The arrest rate has increased by more than 5% each year during the last three years.
The DMV reports that 96.6% of Solano County DUI arrests were for misdemeanors. Only 3.2% of DUI arrests were for felonies, a lower rate than the statewide average of 4%. Felonies are usually charged when a DUI causes a serious accident injury, or the defendant has at least three prior DUI convictions within the last ten years.
DUI Convictions in Solano County
In the most recent year covered by the DMV's annual report, 61.6% of DUI arrests in Solano County resulted in a DUI conviction. Since only 0.7% of those convictions were for felonies, some of those felony charges were either reduced or dismissed.
The DMV statistics show that 10.3% of Solano County DUI arrests were resolved as a “wet reckless,” a form of reckless driving that generally results in more lenient penalties and potentially less severe driver's license consequences. Another 4.0% of DUI arrests were resolved as the “dry” form of reckless driving, an offense that carries substantially more favorable penalties than either a DUI conviction or a wet reckless.
Almost 23% of Solano County DUI arrests resulted in no reported conviction. That compares to a statewide average of 16.6%. Convictions may have been avoided because a defense lawyer convinced the court to suppress evidence of guilt, because test results were challenged, or because other defenses were raised that convinced a prosecutor or jury that the case did not merit a conviction.
Every case is different, and the specific defense that applies will depend on the facts of your case. If there is no realistic defense, it is simply a matter of damage control, and that is where your attorney will attempt to get you out of this situation with the least possible penalties, and allow you to move on with your life.
Solano County Courts
If you have been arrested for a driving under the influence charge in Solano County, you will either have court in Fairfield CA or Vallejo CA. There are three courthouses in Fairfield that hear DUI cases:
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Hall of Justice
600 Union Avenue
Fairfield, CA 94533 -
Law and Justice
530 Union Avenue
Fairfield, CA 94533 -
Old Solano Courthouse
580 Texas Street
Fairfield, CA 94533
Vallejo has only one courthouse in general:
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Solano Justice Building
321 Tuolumne Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
As a DUI Attorney that has practiced in multiple counties throughout California for years, I can honestly say that some of the best results I have obtained have been out of Solano County. The prosecutors are normally professional, thorough, and fair, and the same can be said about the judiciary in Solano County. Of course, there are always exceptions, but overall, it is not the worst county to be a defendant on a DUI charge. For more information on how your matter might be viewed by Solano County District Attorney's or Judges, call Fairfield DUI Attorney Michael Rehm for a free, confidential consultation at (707) 225-0731.