Las Vegas Criminal Defense Blog

Motley Crue singer Vince Neil, who was arrested in June for allegedly committing the Nevada crime of driving under the influence, has been given a new court date of October 11. He allegedly had a BAC of .08, which is just above Nevada’s legal limit, when he was reportedly caught driving his Lamborghini above the speed limit near the Strip. No plea has been entered so far.

The Nevada crime of driving under the influence is a misdemeanor as long as no one got seriously hurt or killed and as long as the driver didn’t have two or more DUIs in the last seven years. Las Vegas DUI law prohibits driving a vehicle in the state with a BAC of .08 or above, even if you’re not technically under the influence and are driving safely. Common defenses to DUI charges include faulty breath-testing equipment and police misconduct.

The standard sentence for a first-time DUI guilty plea include fines, DUI School, a Victim Impact Panel, a suspended jail sentence, and a 3 month license suspension. If the prosecution has evidentiary problems, they may agree to reduce the charge to reckless driving. For a first-time conviction of committing the Nevada crime of driving under the influence, you must wait seven years from the time the case is closed before you may petition the court to seal your record.

The North Las Vegas Detention Center is losing 19 corrections officers and 24 other workers because about a third of the jail’s inmate population will be housed in a new Pahrump facility. Once this Nevada Southern Detention Center opens next month, the North Las Vegas Detention Center’s inmate population will be reduced from 300 to 50. The layoffs will save nearly $10 million a year.

The North Las Vegas Detention Center is located in the same building as North Las Vegas Municipal Court at 2332 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Ste. 200. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is under contract with the jail to house 150 inmates. North Las Vegas Detention Center typically houses federal inmates during trial as well.

To locate an inmate at the North Las Vegas Detention Center, call (702) 633-1400. You can also search at the North Las Vegas Jail Inmate Search Database. Inmates may not receive phone calls, but they are allowed to place collect calls or use a prepaid calling card.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.lvrj.com/news/pahrump-wins-with-new-prison--but-north-las-vegas-loses-out-103495479.html

A Las Vegas lawyer who was once arrested on weapons charges and for violating Nevada under the influence of a controlled substance law is now helping others from succumbing to the same mistakes. He is a defense lawyer in Youth Offender Court, a type of rehab program for young addicts that also may require community service and jail. He has been sober for one year and counting.

Nevada under the influence of a controlled substance law makes it illegal for someone to knowingly be under the influence of a drug unless a doctor prescribed the dosage. This offense applies whether or not you are in public. It is a separate offense from DUI, which pertains only to driving under the influence or having an illegal amount of alcohol or drugs in your blood while you're driving.

The penalties for violating Nevada under the influence of a controlled substance law depends on the kind of drugs involved. For schedules I-IV drugs, it's a category E felony carrying 1 to 4 years. But a category V drug would implement only up to one year in jail and maybe $1,000 in fines.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.lvrj.com/news/--steven-m--altig--attorney-103230464.html?ref=464

The trial of a teenager accused of causing a 2008 DUI-related fatal car accident has been pushed back for the dozenth time. The defendant is charged with violating Nevada DUI with Death law and reportedly had a BAC level of .16 at the time of the collision, which is twice the legal limit. Two people were killed.

Nevada DUI with Death law makes it a felony to drive drunk or high and then cause a fatal car accident. Standard defenses include that the driver did not start drinking until after he stopped driving, that the breath/blood testing equipment was faulty, and that the accident was not proximately caused by the DUI. It's also a felony if the accident resulted in a serious injury and not death.

Standard penalties for violating Nevada DUI with Death law is two to twenty years in prison and maybe a fine of $2,000 to $5,000. If the driver was transporting a child under fifteen at the time, the judge may consider that as an aggravating factor when deciding the sentence. However, people convicted of DUI with death crimes are usually segregated from violent offenders in prison.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25030432/detail.html

Last month a thirty-year-old health care worker pleaded guilty to Medicaid Fraud in Mesquite. She was sentenced to a year of probation, three days in jail, and over three thousand in restitution. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which also investigates claims of violations of Nevada elder abuse law.

Nevada elder abuse law makes it a crime to subject a person of sixty years of age or older to abuse, neglect, isolation or exploitation. Well-meaning family members and health care workers are often wrongfully accused of this crime. Common defenses include accident, false accusations and self-defense.

The penalties for violating Nevada elder abuse law depend on the nature of the abuse and the defendant's criminal history. For instance, a first offense of elder isolation is a gross misdemeanor, carrying up to one year in jail and/or up to $2,000 in fines and restitution. But a subsequent offense is a category B felony carrying two to ten years in prison and maybe $5,000 in fines plus restitution.

For more on this story, go to: http://www.mesquitelocalnews.com/viewnews.php?newsid=6021&id=11

Two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers are facing charges stemming from a fatal car crash chase back in May. They reportedly ignored their sergeant's orders to cease their pursuit of the victim's car. One officer is charged with felony reckless driving and violating Nevada vehicular manslaughter law, and the other is charged with misdemeanor reckless driving.

Nevada vehicular manslaughter law applies when a driver proximately causes the death of another person through simple negligence. Simple negligence is a failure to act in a manner that a reasonable person would in the identical situation. Examples include not yielding at a stop sign, slight speeding, or texting while driving.

A conviction for violating Nevada vehicular manslaughter law is punished as a misdemeanor, carrying up to six months in jail and/or up to $1,000 in fines. It's different from "vehicular homicide," which are DUI-related fatal car accidents when the driver has three previous DUI convictions. It's also different from Reckless Driving with Death, which is when the death allegedly results from the driver's recklessness (as opposed to negligence).

For more info, go to: http://www.lvrj.com/news/two-metro-officers-charged-in-traffic-death-101998148.html