Monthly Archives: January 2018

Change in the Air?

Washington lawmakers continue their push to change our driving while license suspended laws. Legislators, civil-rights groups and others say Driving While License Suspended 3rd Degree (DWLS 3) disproportionately burdens the poor and communities of color. Sadly, DWLS 3 is the state’s most commonly charged crime, according to a 2017 report by the American Civil Liberties… Continue Reading »

How Can I Get My Case Dismissed?

Certain types of offenses and offenders may qualify for programs that result in the dismissal of the case against the defendant upon completion of specified conditions. These programs go by several different names, but they all remove the defendant from the ordinary channels of prosecution so that the defendant may complete certain conditions. Once the… Continue Reading »

My Right To A Lawyer

The Washington State Supreme Court, in State v. Fedorov, affirmed a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol where a police officer remained in a room while a defendant was a on a telephone call with a lawyer before consenting to a breath test. The Court held that the rule-based right to counsel under… Continue Reading »

Lowering of the .08 Threshold Imminent?

Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration commissioned a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the Academies to determine which strategies for reducing impaired driving have proven to be effective. The report (a whopping 489 pages and written by a panel) made several recommendations,… Continue Reading »

Indictments Explained

You’ve probably heard the word “indictment” mentioned on your favorite TV crime drama or the nightly news, typically in the context of someone being charged with a serious crime. You know it’s not a good thing for the person being indicted, but what exactly does it mean? Simply stated, an indictment is a formal accusation… Continue Reading »

I Killed Someone!

SQ Attorneys handles all criminal charges including murder and/or homicide cases. When someone takes the life of another, regardless of intent or other details surrounding the incident, it is called a homicide. Homicide is not always a crime, such as in cases of self-defense or the state-sanctioned execution of certain convicted criminals. Criminal homicides involve… Continue Reading »

Rules to be Followed

Many folks facing criminal charges are often confused by the court process and why ‘everything’ cannot be brought up in a criminal trial. Unfortunately (or fortunately – depending on which side of the case you sit), it is not as simple as throwing the proverbial bowl of noodles at the wall and see what sticks.… Continue Reading »

What are the Three Strikes Law?

Many have heard about the “three strikes” law which has been implemented in many States, where in which a defendant with three violent felony convictions may be sentenced to life in imprisonment. In addition to “three strikes” laws, other state and all federal criminal statutes include mandatory sentences that require judges to impose identical sentences… Continue Reading »

What Once was – Is No Longer

Oh how times have changed in the realm of Washington DUI law. Not so many years ago a driver charged with a DUI, and fortunate enough to get an amended charge like Reckless Driving or Negligent Driving, was often spared actual jail time and instead was permitted to ‘do their time’ via community service hours.… Continue Reading »