Pretrial Hearings in Criminal Cases in Orange County
Prior to trial, the prosecutor and the Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney will have an opportunity to exchange information. This process is called discovery. During discovery, the Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney will be able to obtain the following evidence:
- All police reports and supplemental reports
- Booking Photos
- All Photos (digital or CD)
- Line up photos or cards (photo arrays)
- All audo and video recordings
- Patrol car videos
- 911 tapes
- 911 logs
- Criminal History (Rap Sheet)
- Crime scene photos
- Fingerprints
- Citizen contact tapes
- Dispatch logs
- Surveillance tapes
- Copy of Certified Priors
If the case involves an Orange County DUI, the Orange County DUI lawyer can obtain:
- Maintaince and Calibration logs for the breath test devices used
- Blood run packet
- GCMS
- Toxicology reports
- Lab reports
In addition, an Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney can file pretrial motions to set aside the complaint, dismiss the case or prevent evidence from being used at trial. Many times after filing these motions, the prosecution realizes that there may be a chance they could lose the case and, therefore, may negotiate a reduction of charges or penalties.
There may be several pretrial hearings before the actual trial in which the Orange County Criminal Defense attorneywill be given an opportunity to negotiate the case and obtain all the important discovery (evidence) needed to properly defend your case. Once sufficient information is obtained and analyzed, then and only then should your case be set for trial.
Scott D. Hughes is an Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney practicing in both State and Federal Court.