The Rights of Non-Citizens in the Arizona Criminal Process

Being arrested in Arizona is a terrifying experience no matter who you are. How could it not be? Most likely, you’ll have an intimidating Arizona law enforcement officer put cuffs on you and place you in the back of a squad car while reading you rights that you’re probably not even able to pay much attention to. Then you’ll be taken down to the local precinct for booking, where you’ll be photographed, fingerprinted, have your belongings removed, and have all of your information entered into the police log – all with little information about what’s going to happen to you, how long everything will take, and when you’ll be allowed to talk to someone or see a friendly face. Your only real defense is to keep quiet other than asking to see an experienced Arizona criminal attorney and requesting to make your phone call. Now imagine that you’re a non-citizen.
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Sentencing for Arizona Felonies

No matter what the actual charges are, if you or a loved one is arrested for a crime in Arizona, it’s serious business. Chances are, it will affect your work, your family – your entire future. At the very least, you’ll likely be facing fines, court costs, and probation of some sort, and the complexities of the Arizona legal system only make figuring out what’s going on that much more difficult. For your best chance at receiving a positive outcome, you need an experience Arizona criminal attorney fighting for your rights as early on in the process as possible. Good legal experts with experience trying cases like yours know just what to look for to lessen the charges against their clients and sometimes even get them dropped altogether. Having a good Arizona criminal lawyer is even more important when you are facing an Arizona felony. Felonies in Arizona have far
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Sentences and Fines for Arizona Misdemeanors

Generally, any time you or a loved one is charged with a crime in Arizona, it will be labeled as a felony, a misdemeanor, or a petty offense. Felony charges in Arizona cover the most serious of crimes – things like murder, rape, and other dangerous violent illegal activities, for example. Misdemeanor charges, in contrast, are often leveled against people for criminal activities that are considered “lighter” or “not as bad.” And petty offenses are the least serious of crimes, generally punishable by a fine and nothing else. Because misdemeanors are consider lighter, sometimes when people see that they are “only” being charged with a misdemeanor they will not believe it is necessary to fight the charges or to seek legal counsel on the matter. Or they might think that the cost involved in fighting the charges just isn’t worth it. They’ll just take their punishment and deal with it.
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Plea Bargains in the State of Arizona

If you or a loved one is arrested for a crime in Arizona, you will be facing charges for your crime. Depending on the nature of the incident, those charges might be very minor – say, fines, court costs, and probation – or incredibly harsh – years spent in prison with the possibility of the death penalty. Most people know that more serious crimes are labeled felonies, while crimes of a less serious nature are charged as misdemeanors. All felonies in Arizona come with the possibility of some jail time, but the majority of misdemeanors do not. When you are arrested and charged, chances are that you are not thinking clearly. You’re scared about what’s happening and whether there’s anything that you can do to get out of it. How will this affect your job? Your family? Your life? You probably know from watching TV and movies that it is
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How Long Can You Be Held Before Bail Must Be Set in Arizona

If you are arrested and put in jail, one of your first concerns will likely be how long it will be until you can leave. The first step towards going home is finding out what bail is required for your case. In the state of Arizona, you are entitled by law to have what is called an “initial appearance” in front of a judge within 24 hours of your arrest. During this hearing, bail will be set, you may be released on your own recognizance (O.R.), or the judge will decide to hold you without bail. Release on Your Own Recognizance in Arizona If the judge decides to release you on your own recognizance, this means that you are being released without supervision or a requirement to pay any bail. Typically, this happens if you are considered a low flight risk and the offense isn’t considered serious. The judge will
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What Are Arizona Bail Bondsmen?

If you or a loved one is arrested in Arizona and charged with a crime, you will go through a number of different processes required by law. As any experienced Arizona criminal attorney can tell you, it starts with the actual arrest. Very likely, you will be handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car by an officer of the law as he or she reads your rights to you. Then you will be taken down to the local precinct for booking. Once there, you will be searched, photographed, fingerprinted, and have your information recorded on the police logs before being questioned or placed in lockup while you await arraignment, where you are brought before a judge The state is legally required to hold your arraignment within a specific period of time or they have to let you go. At the arraignment, your charges will be read and
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Breathalyzers and Residual Mouth Alcohol

To understand how residual alcohol in the mouth affects a breathalyzer reading, you first need to understand how breathalyzers work and what is “mouth alcohol”. When you drink alcohol, your body immediately starts to absorb it in the elementary canal, starting from the mouth, the stomach all the way to the intestines. When the body starts absorbing alcohol, it starts to rapidly distribute it in the blood. When the blood reaches the liver, alcohol is filtered and removed and passed through the alveoli in the lungs. A drunk person starts exhaling some alcohol with each breath as the lungs help to exhaust the alcohol out of the body. Enforcement officers and authorities use a device known as a breathalyzer to test the amount of exhausted alcohol to estimate the Blood Alcohol Content or BAC and determine if a person is above the allowed legal limit or not, which is set
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Crash in Chandler Leads to Attempted Carjacking

On Wednesday night a 46-year old Phoenix area resident had a harrowing experience in Chandler.  While out driving in a quiet area near Chandler Gilbert Community College she was suddenly rear-ended by a dark colored Nissan truck.  The truck raced up behind her from out of nowhere for her description. She chose to drive forward to one of the community college entrances with the truck following closely behind.  She assumed they would examine the damages, exchange information, and then both go on their way.  Then this accident took a sudden twist which shocked her and has the police dismayed. Upon exiting her car she was quickly tackled to the ground by a thin white male approximately 6 feet tall.  He began yelling obscenities at her and demanding she had over her car keys.  She resisted which resulted in him pulling out a knife and cutting her several times on the
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Two Suspects Arrested for Recent Credit Card Theft in Phoenix Area

Officers in Scottsdale nabbed a pair of credit card thieves as they followed up on a lead provided by the public.  The two suspects are Thomas Kramer and Kasandra Martin.  Thomas and Kasandra were videotaped in a Lowe’s store in Phoenix using the stolen credit cards for their purchases.  They also used the credit cards for buying gasoline at an area station. The credit cards they were using were stolen from Mazda on December 30th which was parked in driveway.  Along with the credit cards they stole additional other personal items from the car.  The pair was initially charged with credit card theft, but you can expect other charges to be forthcoming as the investigation continues. How Many Charges May the Pair Face? Start thinking about all the possible charges this couple may face. The charges could include many of the following: Credit Card Theft Credit Card Fraud Identity Theft
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Former War Veteran Murders Wife then Turns Himself – Phoenix

Former DOC Officer Anthony Rinaldi entered a not guilty plea on charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife. 28-year-old Amanda Rinaldi was found shot to death inside the garage of their Ahwatukee home. Shortly after the shooting, Rinaldo turned himself in to the police by calling 911. According to reports, a call from a child was made to 911 reporting that someone had been shot. When emergency responders arrived at the house, they discovered the body of Amanda Blaies-Rinaldi in the garage and two children inside the home. Both the children were unharmed but Rinaldo had fled from the scene after the shooting. About five minutes after the fire department was called, another call was made to 911, this time by a man. The call was made by Rinaldi himself, who called to report that he shot his wife three times. Rinaldi had pulled over
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