My question involves criminal law for the state of: CA, more specifically, Contra Costa County
I recently had a court appearance for which I was cited back in February 2011 for the following 3 violations:
14601.2(a) CVC Driv w/ Suspended
14601.5(a) CVC Driv w/ Suspended
23154(a) CVC DUI Prob Driv W/ BAC .01% or over
I left the hearing convicted of only the following:
14601.5(a) CVC Driv w/ Suspended
BTW, this was with only self representation.
The judge stated that 14601.2(a) didn't apply to my situation so he dropped it and no mention of 23154(a) at all. Did I hit the "legal system" lottery jackpot today or can this come back to bite me hard in the future due to the fact that it was overlooked?
Also, on a related note, I was wondering what my chances were on using this outcome to my advantage with the DMV's Admin Per Se decision? Currently the DMV has me in their system as a 1 year hard suspension (can apply for restricted license after 1 year). Could I contact their Licensing Operations Division to advise of the court outcome for a lesser suspension, or should I lay low and bite the bullet and leave the DMV's APS as is? My fear is that if they probe into court minutes, they will note the mistake and it could blow up in my face!
Thank you all for your amazing and knowledgeable input. I have been a long time reader and this is my first inquiry.
Sincerely,
taken_aBAC
P.S. I was very complacent after my 1st DUI and quickly fell back into old ways. It took my car being taken from me for 30 days (ended up abandoning vehicle due to storage fees and police department release fees being the same as car's value) and immediate loss of driving privileges until 2012 for me to "get it". I wish my punishment had been that severe the first time around...

