Charlotte County DUI Information

If you were arrested for DUI by the Charlotte County Sheriffs Office, Florida Highway Patrol, Punta Gorda Police Department or any other state agency, you have found the right team to fight for you. Our office is very familiar with the court system and the state attorney in Charlotte County. Currently, there are three county court Judges assigned to the criminal bench. Judge Paul Alessandroni has been on the bench in Charlotte County for over 5 years. He splits the criminal duties with the Honorable Peter A. Bell who was elected to the county court in 2000, and the Honorable John Burns.

If you were arrested for DUI in Charlotte County your first court appearance is called an arraignment. Under Florida law an arraignment is an opportunity to answer to the charge against you. In the approximate 20 day window period between your arrest and your first court date, the State Attorney will make a decision on what crime(s) to charge you with. Remember, the police make an arrest but the state attorney makes the filing decision by using an information process. An information is a charging document filled out by the state attorney that outlines the charge that the state attorney feels they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

If a case is not resolved at the arraignment date then the case will be continued to a pretrial conference. By completing the proper paperwork we can waive our client’s appearance at the first two court appearances. Ultimately, the case will be resolved or the case will be tried to a jury of 6 people from the community.

If you have a pending case in Charlotte County, Florida call our office so we can discuss the particular facts of your case.