• posted: May 10, 2023
  • Dale Gribow

Was the Force With You on May 4, 2023, on the annual Star Wars Day? The punning slogan “May the Force be with you” acquired legitimacy, when the British Conservative Party used it upon Margaret Thatcher’s ascending to the post of prime minister of the United Kingdom. On May 4, 1979 they posted “May the Fourth Be with you, Maggie… Congratulations.” When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 they adopted the Star Wars holiday, which began with the Star Wars episode IV, birthed in 1974.

Like the Jedi struggling to restore freedom for the galaxy, I try to balance the legal scale in my clients favor, when they are arrested after Coachella or Stagecoach …or have been in an accident while departing the concerts. However, finding the right lawyer can be a daunting a search and requires as much diligence as Darth Vader’s quest for the Rebel Alliance base.

Upon departing our two major concerts, Coachella and Stagecoach, and you got arrested, or were in an accident, the force clearly was not with you. Many locals and visitors, keep an eye out for what they may think of as Indio’s Stormtroopers…ie police, who do a wonderful job of protecting us.

Finding the location of the Indio Police, after the concert, when they have been hiding in order to “be with you”, is as difficult as the Republic trying to find the Galactic Empire…in a Galaxy long long ago. Though Darth Vader may not have found the Rebels in the Galaxy, I assure you Indio Stormtrooper’s probably visited you upon departure. If you had been drinking, you did not want the visit, and the resulting arrest, for Driving Under the Influence or Possession of Drugs.

If you were the victim of a non fault traffic accident, they were a welcome friend.  It is challenging to find law enforcement these days, to make a report after an accident, let along to contact the hospital and ambulance. Remember, if you leave and get a few miles away, that each city has their own Legion of Stormtroopers with Black and Whites, that can outrun you. Of course, we should not forget the CHP who will be lurking on the freeways.

Good eventually triumphs!  Indio’s finest will assist you in finding the Indio Jail and Larson Justice Center after Darth Vader’s henchman turn your matter over to the DA’s for “processing” on your DUI….or sorting out the value of your traffic accident’s value.

If you were “held up at Stagecoach” you were TEMPORARILY DETAINED and had a pleasant  conversation with the men and women in a Black and White, who may have invited you to return to the CV for a less pleasant visit to the Indio Court …to “discuss” your DUI arrest or accident.

Be mindful, as I have explained in previous columns, that a DUI arrest kicks in two separate proceedings…the Court and a DMV Suspension Hearing. Both are looking to punish you. DMV looks to suspend your license, while the court focuses on jail. The outcome of one proceeding does not necessarily affect the other.  

If DMV suspends your license, it is for a four month period.  If you ask for a restricted license, the suspension is for 5 months.  Sometimes, we have clients who enter a plea in Court, to something BEFORE the DMV hearing.  Even though the court does not suspend your license, as part of the plea, the court will notify the DMV in Sacramento that the driver pled to a DUI or reckless driving etc., and that the driver was sentenced to attend a drinking driving program.  That notification will trigger a letter to the arrested driver, from Sacramento’s DMV, called an Order of Suspension (for 6 months). 

A DMV Administrative Per Se (APS) hearing, presumes a driver is per se GUILTY or Under the Influence, when the DUI CHEMICAL RESULTS (PAS aka Preliminary Alcohol Screening Breath Test or The Blood Test), shows the driver to be .08 or higher. With a DUI, in order to save your California Driver’s License or driving privileges, your attorney must request a DMV hearing within TEN (10) DAYS.  A few weeks later, the driver should go to DMV, pay $6 to get a copy of their DMV record and REQUEST A DMV IDENTIFICATION CARD, that looks like a CDL. You will probably need some form of ID with a picture during this DUI process and for travel etc! 

THE BOTTOM LINE IS “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE OR TEXT, AND GET A DUI OR ACCIDENT... CALL A TAXI, LYFT OR UBER….THEY ARE A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME”.

DRINKING AND TEXTING BOTH CAUSE ARRESTS AND ACCIDENTS, OR MAKE A DRIVER LESS LIKELY TO AVOID A DUI INDUCED ARREST OR NON FAULT ACCIDENT. BEING INTOXICATED, IS JUST AS SERIOUS AS BEING INTEXTICATED.

REMEMBER, A DRIVER MUST DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID AN AT FAULT ACCIDENT.