kriscarrascoIt’s Now More Difficult to Restore Gun Rights The Washington legislature passed a whole new law regarding firearm rights and possession, including a new standard for restoring gun rights in Washington State. The new restoration law still allows firearm restoration for those convicted of felonies and domestic violence misdemeanors, but the law makes it more … Read more
District Court judges in Kitsap County recently ruled that all Washington breath tests are unreliable and excludes them from DUI cases. The breath test machine does not comply with Washington law and all test results are invalid. This ruling applied to Kitsap District Court cases currently, but it’s only the beginning for the rest of … Read more
Oregon’s new expungement law went into effect today. It was a much needed change to the previous law that was overly complicated and limited who could erase their record. Under the new law, a person with a criminal record has can ask the court to expunge their criminal history if they have completed the conditions … Read more
On January 1, 2022, the State of Washington will enact new laws related to DUI sentencing. These laws give the judge more flexibility when sentencing on DUIs with the mandatory minimum laws in Washington. First Offense – House Arrest Option The court will now be able to order house arrest or the 24/7 sobriety program … Read more
Assault 4 Domestic Violence – Self Defense – Dismissed Client was arrested and charged with assault fourth degree domestic violence when his ex called police and reported that he had pulled her hair and struck her several times. Officers showed up to their home and my client had injuries to him and was calm with … Read more
Brandishing a Weapon – Dismissal My client was charged with pulling a knife on another person during an argument. The City of Vancouver charged him criminal with brandishing a weapon. We negotiated a dismissal with prejudice in the case and my client still has a clean record.
Drug Possession Convictions are Invalid In a landmark opinion, the Washington Supreme Court in State v. Blake ruled that the law prohibiting possession of controlled substances in unconstitutional and those convicted may be eligible to have their conviction invalidated. The reasoning behind the opinion is that the law did not require the state to prove … Read more
Physical Control of a Motor Vehicle Charge Dismissed Client was charged with Physical Control of a Motor Vehicle and Resisting Arrest by the City of Vancouver. Client was in a parking spot and passed out in his vehicle with the car running. Vancouver Police arrived after they were called by a concerned neighbor. After waking … Read more
How Clark County Courts are Affected by Coronavirus COVID-19 District Court Issues Emergency Order This morning Clark County issued new guidelines for court operations during the Coronavirus outbreak. Clark County District Court has suspended most of their proceedings. Those with current pending charges who have a court date in March or April will have their … Read more
In the News: Self Defense for Vancouver Home Owner A Vancouver, WA homeowner shot and killed an intruder February 13, 2020. The homeowner reported that the suspect not only illegally entered him home, but when he was confronted, charged at the homeowner. The homeowner nor his family were hurt and police were immediately called. KATU … Read more