Your Rights to a DUI Independent Blood Test

January 19, 2021/in DUI, Criminal Defense /by Attorney Arja Shah

When you are arrested in Arizona for a suspected DUI, the officer might order a DUI blood test. Before a blood test can be ordered, the officer must first either obtain your voluntary consent or secure a search warrant. Upon drawing your blood, the officer is required to advise you of your right to conduct independent testing of your blood. However, you might not know how to find an independent lab to draw your blood after hours to test it for your alcohol concentration. Because it might take you some time to locate a blood testing facility and get transportation, several hours may have passed. Since the alcohol in your blood dissipates over time, this can be a real problem.

If you ask for independent blood alcohol testing, the officer cannot do things to unreasonably interfere with your right to obtain this sample. When you are arrested for a DUI, you should contact a Phoenix DUI attorney as soon as possible. You have the right to ask for an attorney, and you should do so as soon as you are arrested. You also have the right to ask for an independent blood sample.

Even if you are transported to jail, you can ask the officer to take you to a local hospital to have an independent blood test performed. While you might not understand why this is important, an independent blood sample might help you to identify problems with how the blood test was performed in your DUI case.

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Understanding Blood Testing for DUI Alcohol or Drugs

When your blood is drawn to show the concentration of alcohol in your blood, you might think that the results are valid and accurate, preventing you from defending against a DUI charge. However, blood testing is not infallible. It is possible to challenge the results of a blood test on procedural, handling, and scientific grounds.

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Domestic Violence Charges During Holidays

Do Domestic Violence Charges Increase During the Holidays?

November 30, 2020/in Domestic Violence, Aggravated Assault, Assault & Battery, Blog, Criminal Defense, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence Charges Defense /by Attorney Arja Shah

Many people think that incidents of domestic violence charges spike during the holidays. The holidays can be stressful and cause people to take their anger out on those who are closest to them. Several factors can lead to domestic violence incidents during the holidays, including financial stress, unrealistic expectations, increased alcohol use, and being shut inside with immediate family members for extended periods.

During this holiday season, all of these factors are compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the added layers of stress and financial problems it has wrought. While domestic violence cases do happen, some people also lash out at their family members by filing false reports.

People who are charged with domestic violence crimes should talk to a domestic violence attorney at the Shah Law Firm as soon as possible.

Speak to Arizona Defense Attorney Arja Shah Now

We are Open and Available to answer any questions. Free consultations by phone or video chat.
Shah Law has successfully defended over 2,700 clients. We are on your side!

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Increase in Domestic Violence Charges During the Holidays

The holidays bring a lot of added stress to families in Arizona. People can be overwhelmed when they have to plan holiday celebrations. They might also be facing increased financial stress and have unrealistic expectations of their experiences. Holidays can always be overwhelming. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has added even more stress. Many families are struggling financially and simply do not have the means to celebrate in the way in which they would like.

According to data from the Phoenix Police Department, domestic violence homicides increased by 180% year-over-year during the first eight months of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019. This demonstrates that people were already under significant stress even before the holiday season got started.

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6 Things Police Won’t Tell You When Pulled Over for DUI

November 5, 2020/in DUI, Blog, Criminal Defense /by Attorney Arja Shah

Arizona DUI laws have drastically changed over the past few decades. While law enforcement agencies have engaged in numerous approaches to minimize impaired driving, cases involving driving under the influence of drugs have been increasing. Because of the increase in drugged driving, how officers investigate suspected DUI cases has changed.

Most people do not understand the complex nature of DUI arrests and might not understand how they are affected when their blood alcohol concentrations are 0.08% or higher. Many people have unrealistic beliefs about how DUIs are investigated.

Here are six things that police officers will not tell you about how they investigate people for suspected DUIs.

1. Many people who are arrested for DUIs are initially only stopped for minor traffic offenses.

Police officers do not necessarily know that a person has been drinking or using drugs at the time that they stop their vehicles. While an officer might believe that you could be under the influence because of the time of day or the location of your stop, he or she does not know if you have been drinking before you are stopped.

Most DUI reports refer to a minor traffic offense as the reason for the stop. For example, the driver might have failed to use a turn signal while turning or moving lanes, might have been speeding, or may have committed other types of traffic violations.

Few reports list the officer’s suspicion that the driver was driving while impaired as the reason for a stop. It’s much more common for a different traffic offense to serve as the opening for a DUI investigation.

Click to Learn More About All 6 Things Police Won’t Tell You When Pulled Over for DUI in Arizona…

How to Post Bail at 4th Ave Jail in Phoenix

October 27, 2020/in Blog, Criminal Defense, Jail Guides /by Attorney Arja Shah

If your friend or family member is arrested in Maricopa County, Arizona, he or she may be booked into jail. After he or she arrives at the jail, he or she will be processed and then will either wait in jail to appear in court or until someone bails him or her out of jail.

People who are arrested for misdemeanor offenses might be booked into the 4th Avenue Jail while those who are arrested for felony offenses will likely be booked into that facility.

Below is information from the Shah Law Firm about posting bail at the 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix.

What are Bail and Bond?

Bail is a conditional release of a defendant in exchange for a financial arrangement that someone else makes for the defendant. To secure the release of the defendant, a person or bail bonds agent will post the money or collateral. Bail is set by the court.

The person who posts bail for a defendant will be responsible for ensuring that he or she attends his or her court appearances. Bond is an agreement that the full bail amount will be paid. Some courts will accept a 10% down payment of the total bail amount.

Posting a Bond for someone at the 4th Avenue Jail

To post a bond for someone at the 4th Avenue Jail, you will want to know the forms of payment that the facility accepts. The 4th Avenue Jail only accepts the following types of payments for bond:

Cashier’s check
Postal money order
Western Union money order
U.S. currency in the exact amount of the bond
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover

Whichever of these forms of payment that you choose, they must be made out to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. If the transaction is for $10,000 or more, your Social Security number will be required because of Internal Revenue Service rules.

Click to Learn More About How to Post Bail at 4th Ave Jail…

bench warrant for failure to appear in court in Arizona

How to Clear an Arizona Bench Warrant for Failure to Appear in Court

August 17, 2020/in Criminal Defense, Blog /by Arja.Shah.Law

Some defense lawyers in Phoenix might suggest that the defense against a failure to appear charge in the state of Arizona are relatively limited due to the fact that in almost all instances, the defendant knowingly missed his or her court date — and proving otherwise can be pretty difficult to do — especially if you don’t have the right defense attorney. With that said, however, there can in some instances absolutely be extenuating circumstances outside of the control of a defendant, such as a car accident, the hospitalization of the defendant or his or her spouse or child, and so on.

But even in instances where the reasons for missing a court date are valid, you will still have to go to court — now, for the original reason you were supposed to appear, as well as to explain to the court why you were absent on the day of your original court date. As long as you received the proper notice of your court date and failed to appear, the judge will want to hear why, and if possible, see proof of the reasons you give to the court for missing your original date.

In instances where a bench warrant was filed due to your missed court date, you and your attorney do have the ability to file a motion to cancel the bench warrant and give your reasons for missing the original date. This process is called “filing a motion to quash a bench warrant for failure to appear,” and as long as the circumstances that made it virtually impossible or totally impossible for you to appear in court, most of the time, the judge will dismiss the charge and cancel the bench warrant, leaving you to only have to deal with the original charge or charges you were facing.

What Kind of Charge is a Failure to Appear in Court in Arizona?

In the state of Arizona, failure to appear in court can be either a felony or a misdemeanor charge depending on the circumstances. In circumstances where the defendant knowingly failed to appear in court when the original charge was a felony, a failure to appear in court will be considered a first degree failure to appear in court and deemed a Class 5 felony in accordance with Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 13-2507.

For this charge, you could face up to 1.5 years in jail and up to $150,000 in fines and fees.

In instances when your failure to appear in court was related to a petty offense (something for which there is no possible jail or prison time) or misdemeanor charge rather than a felony, you will be charged with a second degree failure to appear in court in accordance with Arizona Revised Statute 13-3903.

Second degree failure to appear in court is deemed a Class 2 misdemeanor, for which the maximum sentence is four months in facility that is not a prison along with a fine of no more than $750.

Click to Learn More about Arizona bench warrant laws for failure to appear in court…

How Can Manslaughter Charges Be Ruled Self-Defense in Arizona?

August 9, 2020/in Criminal Defense, Assault & Battery, Blog, Manslaughter, Vehicular Manslaughter /by Arja.Shah.Law

In the state of Arizona, the law allows you to fight — and even in some instances kill, if warranted — in an effort to protect yourself, your family, or other loved ones. With that said, proving that how you used physical force in the act of self-defense is a great deal more complicated than most people realize against manslaughter charges.

Other states in the US have similar laws, such as the popular “stand your ground” laws that explain to residents that suggest that someone would be justified in threatening to use — or actually using — physical force against another person to a reasonable extent when the first person believes it to be immediately necessary for the purposes of protecting him or herself and/or others.

In the state of Arizona, and according to ARS 13-411, citizens have no duty to retreat before making any threats of physical violence in most instances if you are in a situation or a place where you have the legal right to be, and you have not engaged in any illegal acts.

When You Can Legally Use Force, Even Deadly Force

In fact, here in Arizona, there are a variety of situations in which the use of physical force are entirely justified, not just self-defense. Physical force may also be used in the state of Arizona in an effort to thwart certain crimes, as well as to come to the physical defense of a third-party whom you may or may not know. Furthermore, when a justification defense is something you plan to use, the prosecution bears the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant in question did not act in a justified manner.

The statutes that protect you and allow you to use self-defense, and even to commit manslaughter in Arizona when justified are as follows:

Arizona Revised Statute Section 14-404: Justification: Self-Defense
Arizona Revised Statute Section 13-405 Justification: Use of Deadly Physical Force

Threatening or using force in self-defense, including deadly force, is justified when a reasonable person could believe that that force was immediately necessary to stay safe (protect yourself) from another person’s use — or attempted use — of illegal physical force.

Self-defense is NOT justified when:

The other person has only made a verbal threat
If you are resisting arrest from a law enforcement officer
If an innocent third-party was injured or killed as a result of your recklessness
If you were the person who initiated the provocation of the other person’s use of force, except when you were the one who withdrew first and clearly stated your intent to withdraw AND the other person continued to then use illegal physical force.

Click to Learn More about Arizona manslaughter laws…

Resisting arrest in Arizona: ARS 13-2508

What is Considered Resisting Arrest by Police in Arizona?

August 2, 2020/in Criminal Defense, Aggravated Assault, Assault & Battery, Blog, Disorderly Conduct /by Arja.Shah.Law

In Arizona, there is actually a statute that defines what it means to resist arrest — lawmakers did this to ensure there would be no confusion in the courtroom after an arrest has been made, as resisting arrest is often a charge that is added to, or that happens in addition to, other charges at the same time.

Arizona Revised Statute 13-2508: Resisting Arrest in the State of Arizona

According to Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 13-2508, resisting arrest in Arizona is defined as the act of intentionally preventing an arrest by either:

Using or threatening to use physical force
Creating substantial risk or physical injury
Passively resisting an arrest through nonviolent physical means in a manner meant to impede, delay, or otherwise hinder an arrest

Passive Resistance of Arrest

Because it is one of the most common forms of resisting arrest today, and because peaceful resistance of arrest is known as a tool of protestors and others during the course of exercising their First Amendment right to free speech, it is important to understand passive resistance to arrest.

Passive resistance can mean more than one thing, but it is important to understand that the same rules for resisting arrest that apply to someone violently resisting through physical harm to authorities will also apply to someone who is peacefully resisting. And, in the courtroom, an Arizona judge is not likely to note the difference between a peaceful resistance and a physical revolt against arrest, with the only obvious difference — which would result in further charges — being resisting arrest in a violent manner that resulted in an injury or injuries to one or more police officers or other authorities.

A peaceful or nonviolent resistance to arrest can simply mean failure to act when told you are under arrest, refusing to put your hands behind your back, refusing to get out of your car or move from a specific physical space when an officer or other authority has commanded you to, or “dead weighting” your body in such a manner that arresting you and moving you from where you are on the street or another public space into a patrol car is exceedingly difficult for authorities.

ARS 13-2508 Includes Quite a Bit of Unclear Language

While Arizona law does have a specific statute for resisting arrest as noted above, Arizona Revised Statute 13-2508 is difficult to pin down, not only for officers and citizenry, but even for the courts and judges themselves. The statute contains a lot of room for interpretation — or misinterpretation — that makes it incredibly broad, far reaching, and frankly, that gives both the state and the person who allegedly resisted arrest a good amount of wiggle room.
Click to Learn More about Resisting Arrest in Arizona…

Shannon's Law illegally discharging a firearm in Arizona

Shannon’s Law & Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm in Arizona

July 24, 2020/in Criminal Defense, Aggravated Assault, Blog, Domestic Violence, Manslaughter /by Arja.Shah.Law

Shannon’s Law is legislation that was passed in the state of Arizona that makes it illegal to discharge a firearm anywhere within the city limits of any city or town within the state of Arizona.

The law was passed in response to the 1999 gun-shooting tragedy that ended the life of Shannon Smith. As the story goes, Shannon Smith was casually walking around the back yard of her Central Phoenix home when suddenly, a bullet that had been fired into the air more than a mile away from her location struck her in the head and killed her.

Shannon Smith’s parents fought and won to create Shannon’s Law in a grassroots effort that included a veritable who’s who among Phoenix area prosecutors, politicians, area citizens, and law enforcement officials, among others, who wanted to see the legislative change that would restore peace in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, making it illegal to fire any type of gun or rifle into the air in an effort to avoid future tragedies such as the one that tragically took the life of Shannon Smith.

Known legally as Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 13-3107, enacted in 2000, Shannon’s Law makes it a felony for anyone, according to the law, “who, with criminal negligence discharges a firearm within or into the limits of any municipality” within the state of Arizona.

Not Every Discharge of a Firearm is a Felony in the State of Arizona

While it is true that Shannon’s Law makes it unlawful to discharge a firearm, it only does so when, according to the Shannon’s Law legislation, that person does so with criminal negligence, which may not always apply in every case. To prove this and obtain a misdemeanor charge instead of a felony charge, you may have to strike a plea bargain, but in the state of Arizona, these are relatively rare.

It’s important to understand that, because of the notoriety Shannon’s law received upon its passage, and because the law provides for mandatory sentencing, cases that fall under its purview are prosecuted with relative aggressiveness when compared to other, similar offenses within the state of Arizona, and especially within the Greater Phoenix Metro Area.

However, the important exceptions to Shannon’s Law that some people may not be aware of include shooting that occurs within supervised outdoor shooting ranges, areas where hunting is permitted, and select other designated areas in and around Phoenix and other parts of the state of Arizona.

Click to Learn More about Shannon’s Law…

Order of protection violation in Arizona

Violation of a Restraining Order or Order of Protection in Arizona

July 20, 2020/in Criminal Defense, Assault & Battery, Blog, Criminal Trespass, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence /by Arja.Shah.Law

Violating a restraining order in the state of Arizona is a serious charge that comes with serious repercussions, including fines, potential jail time, and even criminal charges. But before we discuss exactly what happens if you do violate an order of protection in Arizona, let’s first talk a little bit about what they are, what the implications are, and why you may have been ordered to stay away from a specific person or other entity in the state of Arizona.

What Exactly is a Restraining Order or Order of Protection in Arizona?

The state of Arizona defines a restraining order as an order of protection, offering protection from one individual to another against any potential acts of abuse of any kind, harassment, or other violations of the protection order holder’s rights and freedom of movement. Orders of protection are served to those defendants who the criminal court has decided could be a danger to the holder of the order of protection, and this could be simply based on that person’s fear of you or what you may do if the two of you come into contact.

Orders of protection can be served both to those who know one another well as well as to those who are strangers or virtual strangers to one another based upon the circumstances of the record of potential harassment. In Arizona, you can be served with an order of protection, an emergency order of protection, an injunction against harassment, or an injunction against workplace harassment — which one you are served with will depend on the circumstances surrounding the reasons for the order in the first place.

Who Can Have an Order of Protection Filed Against Them in Arizona?

This is an important question with a variety of disparate answers. In the state of Arizona, an order of protection can be served to any of the following people:

A current or former husband or wife (spouse or ex-spouse)
A person with whom you have lived, shared a household, been roommates, or cohabitated as an unmarried couple
Any person with whom you have had or currently have a romantic and/or sexual relationship as defined by Arizona law
A person who impregnated another person, or with whom you have a child or children in common
Any relative of any kind, including the relatives of a current or former husband or wife (spouse or ex-spouse’s relatives), including your own parents, grandparents, in-laws of any kind, or siblings and step siblings

Click to Learn More about order of protection violations in Arizona…

Dram Shop Liability In Arizona ARS 4-311 (D)

July 13, 2020/in DUI, Blog, Criminal Defense, Drug Crimes /by Arja.Shah.Law

According to Arizona Revise Statute (ARS 4-311 (D), any restaurants, bars, nightclubs, saloons, or any other places licensed to serve alcohol — known as dram shops — are liable for serving intoxicated patrons and/or minors under the following conditions:

Whether the establishment sold liquor or other spirits to any person who was clearly and obviously intoxicated
Whether or not that individual consumed all the alcohol that he or she purchased
Whether or not the consumption of the alcohol served by the dram shop was the proximate cause of any injuries, property damage, or other types of damages.

What It Means to Be Intoxicated Under Dram Shop Liability Laws in Arizona

In order for the tenets of ARS 4-311 (D) to be properly upheld, the definition of what it means to be intoxicated has to be legally established. For the purposes of this Arizona Revised Statute, intoxications is when any individual drinking — or ordering drinks at the dram shop — is inebriated to a point where the physical and mental impairment is obvious to those around that individual, including other patrons, bartenders, and servers, due to the fact that the intoxicated person is physically uncoordinated, is showing signs of serious physical dysfunction, and other signs, such as slurring speech.

It is under this definition of intoxication or inebriation that a dram shop could be held liable for any injuries or damages done when that dram shop continues to serve alcohol to the individual displaying these signs and symptoms.
Click to Learn More about Arizona Dram Shop Liability Law…