Clear Creek County Colorado DUI Pre-Trial Conferences

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Are You Facing A DUI Charge And You Don't Know What To Do?

We're Attorneys Jim Forslund and Gary Pareja, and we help people just like you who have been arrested for DUI. In fact, almost all of legal work we do concerns DUI.

Let us give you some advice about your case.

It is not a good idea to go to Court alone. Any thing you say to the District Attorney or the Court can be used against you.

On the other hand, If you have an attorney, the Court and the DA cannot talk to you without your attorney present. In addition, anything your attorney says cannot be used against you. And anything you tell your attorney is protected by the attorney client privilege.

If you have an attorney and you are not under bond, your first experience with the justice system is the pretrial conference. The goals of the pre-trial conference are the same in all of the metropolitan county courts, but there are differences in the way they are conducted.

In this first stage the first goal is to determine if the case can be settled without a trial and on what terms. A second goal is to determine what steps should be taken if the matter is set for trial.

Here are matters that are taken into consideration in all jurisdictions, by the prosecutor when making a plea bargain offer:

Prior alcohol offenses, including MIP.
Overall driving record.
The reason you were stopped.
Any accident involved, injury.
How high your BAC was or if you refused.
Your interaction with the police officers.
If your attorney can show proof problems.

But there are also different policies in the various District Attorney's offices that apply to DUI cases.

These are the important things that you need to know.

There is one judge who handle DUIs in Clear Creek County. It is all first come first serve, with no deference to lawyers. The conference is held in a conference room just behind the courtroom.

Pre-trial's are usually held in the afternoon of certain days of the month. There are often long waits in the court room. Your attorney will discuss the case with the prosecutor out of your presence.

Not guilty pleas are entered if a plea bargain is not reached. Trial must be held within six months.

If you enter a guilty plea to an alcohol offense, you will be referred to an alcohol evaluation and public service. The fine is due at this time if you do not have priors and were not over .20. Payments can be arranged on the fine. Otherwise the judge may have you come back to court after the evaluation.

In-home detention is not possible. There is a minimum two days in jail, unless it is a deferred sentence. Work release is available. Clear Creek will offer deals if the defendant refuses a blood or breath test or has low BAC .

For more information see DUI in Colorado.

To contact me, please call at 303-332-3602.

P.S. Your first conference with me is free, and there is no further obligation.

Clear Creek DUI Courtrooms

Division 1

Cites served by Clear Creek County Court:

Empire: DUIs are often charged in Empire traffic stops on US Highway 40 or Main Street.
Georgetown: DUIs are often charged in Georgetown traffic stops on Interstate 70 or Argentine Street.
Idaho Springs: DUIs are often charged in Idaho Springs traffic stops on Interstate 70 or Virginia Street.
Silver Plume-no police department

Directions

Head west on I-70 W 0.1 mi

Take exit 228 toward Georgetown 0.2 mi

Turn left onto 15th St 482 ft

At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto Argentine St 0.5 mi

Continue onto Brownell St 0.2 mi

Turn left onto 6th St 243 ft

240 ft

405 Argentine Street Georgetown, CO 80444

Probation

Unless the Court specifically places an individual on unsupervised probation, you should immediately report to the Probation Office. At that time you will be given instructions about who your Probation Officer is and when to return. If a Presentence Report was not completed as part of your sentencing process, you will be required to fill out a number of forms so that your Probation Officer has complete information about you. During the time you are on probation you will work with your Probation Officer to complete the terms and conditions of probation set by the Court.

The Court will set the conditions of your probation and those will be reviewed with you by your Probation Officer. Violation of any condition may lead to the filing of a complaint with the Court and a hearing where the Court will determine if you violated your probation and if your probation will be revoked. If probation is revoked, you may be re-sentenced to probation or sentenced to Community Corrections, jail or prison if you are an adult

A presentence report is a document prepared by the Probation Department about a specific defendant. The report provides the Judge with information about the offense, victim impact and the defendant to help with the sentencing decision. Presentence reports are prepared for juveniles and adults.

Alcohol Probation is a type of probation typically ordered in sentences for drinking and driving offenses. The Alcohol Drug Driving Safety Unit (ADDS Unit) is the part of the Probation Department that oversees these probationers. An alcohol evaluation is completed with the defendant and a level of alcohol classes is determined. The ADDS Unit monitors the completions of the alcohol classes, community service, Victim Impact Panel, and any other conditions of the sentence. The probationer does not necessarily have face to face contact with the probation officer after the initial meeting and is not charged a monthly supervision fee.

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