Not every fire that gets out of control is arson. California law draws a sharp line between deliberately, maliciously setting a fire and recklessly causing one — and that line decides whether you are facing the state’s most serious fire charge or a far less severe one. If you are under investigation or have been…
One of the things people find most frightening about drug cases is learning you do not have to personally handle, move, or sell drugs to be charged with a serious felony. Through conspiracy and accomplice laws, California can pull family members, partners, roommates, and friends into a single drug case — sometimes for little more…
If you or someone you love has been accused of sexual battery or rape in Southwest Riverside County, the first thing worth understanding is that these are two separate crimes under California law — not two words for the same thing. They carry different elements, very different penalties, and different lifelong consequences, and the line…
The words assault and battery get thrown around all the time when people talk about fights using legal terms. Between cop dramas on TV and crime thrillers on the bestseller lists it can be hard to tell the difference between these two crimes. If you’re involved in a battery case, though, it is extremely important…
Drug crimes are very prevalent in California because the Legislature decided to pursue these activities as crimes instead of medical conditions that require serious intervention and addiction counseling. If you have been arrested, the difference between rehab and a prison cell could very well be the attorney that you choose to represent you. If you…
Often, folks don’t fully realize they’ve committed sexual battery. They believe they haven’t had contact with another in a way not allowed by law. The Law Office of Nic Cocis understands this, and we want to make sure our clients get authoritative representation according to the way California looks at Sexual Battery. California Penal Code…
An accusation of credit card fraud from inside your own family is one of the hardest situations to bring into a defense office — the stakes are criminal, but the person on the other side of the case is your mother, your spouse, or your brother. If a relative says you used their card, opened…
Most people grow up believing “finders keepers” is a rule. In California, it isn’t — at least not always. Under Penal Code § 485, if you find someone’s lost property and there’s a clue to who it belongs to, keeping it for yourself without making a reasonable effort to return it is theft. The good…
We have written posts on this blog before questioning whether DUI checkpoints are worth it. These setups are expensive, involve many officers and, it could be argued that they violate the rights of many innocent people who are not suspected of committing any crime. Are they worth all the time and effort? What prompts us…
The degree to which California has decriminalized marijuana has had many effects, but one of them is that it has made marijuana dispensaries an appealing target for robberies. Would-be thieves think these businesses are ripe for the plucking because they assume they have large amounts of cash and marijuana. Recently, a San Bernardino marijuana dispensary…
In the fall of 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed a new bill (Assembly Bill 721) into law that modifies the definition of drug transport in California. This will have an effect on what drug crimes someone can be charged with and the possible sentencing they face. It will make it more likely that drug users…
Drivers beware: Law enforcement agencies throughout Riverside County are conducting extra DUI enforcement this Winter. One of these DUI sweeps has already occurred.The Press-Enterprise reported that between Friday, Dec. 13 and Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013, law enforcement officers arrested 250 people for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. It isn’t yet known how many of those…
If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges in Southwest Riverside County, time is critical. Contact the Law Office of Nic Cocis today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
