Knock knock Who's there? The secret service. The not so funny knock knock joke is no joke at all. In the age of social media and sharing everything online, there are some things that should not she shared, tweeted or snaped. One such example is tweeting threats to our president. While Preside...

Rape falls under the category of sexual assault and when people think of rape, nonconsensual sexual intercourse committed by physical force comes to mind.  However, in California, less obvious circumstances can lead to rape charges. And now, even tougher legislation has been passed in reaction to...

White collar crime is a general term applied to a wide range of nonviolent crimes perpetrated for monetary or personal gain.  White collar crimes can come under the authority of either the state or federal government.  Fraud and embezzlement are examples of white collar crimes.  One of the most h...

In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47[1] which changed the possession of non-serious drugs from felonies to misdemeanors.  That created the inadvertent effect of allowing date rape drugs, possessed for the purpose of committing sexual assault, to be charged and prosecuted as misdemea...

The state of California enacted its first assault weapons act in 1989 known as the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act[1].  According to the terms of the Act, any firearm listed in California Penal Code §12276[2] constituted an assault weapon.  Further, §12276.1 of the Penal Code provides th...

In the days before everyone had a smartphone and a laptop, local area stores, and malls were shut down on Thanksgiving and days called “Cyber Monday”[1] did not even exist.  But then people like Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs made certain that most, if not all, California residents have...

The majority of states, including California, require the installation of a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID) after certain types of convictions. Such a device requires a breath sample before the vehicle will start and the engine will not engage if alcohol is detected.  With 50-75%...

DUI and DWI are two criminal driving charges we write about a lot on our blog but have you ever heard of a DWC—driving while caffeinated? Well you have now! In a very interesting case out of Solano County back in 2015, an individual was charged with a DUI after cutting off an officer and driving ...

New year, new laws. That's always how it works in California…and every other state for that matter! One of the more buzzed about laws to take effect this year is California's enhanced cell phone ban. Before 2017, drivers were not allowed to talk on their cell phones and drive. Now drivers are not...

According to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers[1], in 2015, there were 10,265 deaths caused by drunk driving collisions and another 290,000 people were injured.  During the Christmas and New Year's holidays, forty percent of all traffic deaths are caused by drunk drivers based on information provided...

2017 is upon us! And one of your New Year's resolutions (if relevant) should be to start the year with a clean California driving record. What happens on the roads of Southern California between Thanksgiving and New Years is simple—more police are on patrol looking for drunk drivers and as a resu...

2017 is upon us! For many of us, ringing in the new year means enjoy a few (or a few too many) libations with friends and family. But worse than any type of 2017 party hangover is a legal hangover! No way to start a new year, At Kann California Defense Group we have put together some suggestions ...

The most wonderful time of the year is also the time of year when the most DUI's occur. With the plethora of holiday parties and time off, that relationship should come as no surprise but what many of my clients are surprised by is just how life changing a Ventura County driving under the influen...

The holidays are family time. Unfortunately, it is also during this time that we see family tensions run high, often resulting in harmful domestic violence charges being filed. Domestic violence can be a very serious charge and not something you want to be convicted of, especially if there are ch...

It's that time of the year again. Yes the holidays but more specifically, the time where it seems like as soon as the sun goes down the DUI checkpoints go up throughout all of Riverside County. The reason for these checkpoints is pretty obvious—to easily find drivers that may be under the influen...

The holidays are here! And while it may never be a white Christmas in Ventura, walk by any store and you will be endlessly reminded of the time of year. Whether out of financial desperation or other motives, the temptation to steal is always higher during the holiday season. In Ventura, theft cri...

California Prop 57 Passes! California Prison Overcrowding In May of 2011, the United States Supreme Court ordered the state of California to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates.  In the case of Brown, Governor of California, et al. v. Plata et al.[1], the U.S. Supreme C...

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has had an erratic history [1] in the state of California.  Although the use of capital punishment was written into the state penal code in 1872, it was declared unconstitutional in 1972, reinstated in 1977, halted in 2006, and included on ball...

When it comes to domestic battery charges there are many sides to the story so let's start with this very simple truth-- just because you are charged with any type of domestic violence in Ventura County does not mean you will be convicted of it. Sadly, too many people simply accept the charges ag...

By now, nearly everyone has heard that 55% of California voters passed Proposition 64 on November 8th, making recreational use of marijuana legal for adults over the age of 21. The proposition, known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) controls, regulates and taxes marijuana.  Because Propos...

Thanksgiving is the time when most people travel to spend time with their friends and family.  Frequently, family members who live far away return to their hometown for large family gatherings.  AAA predicts that 48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving hol...

We have all heard it used in a movie or weekly T.V. cop show.  The bad guy is being arrested and the officer reads him his Miranda rights: “You have the right to remain silent[1]. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you canno...

California Drug Paraphernalia – What You Need To Know In the state of California, it is illegal to possess not only controlled substances but also the paraphernalia that is used to inject or smoke a controlled substance under Section 11364 of the California Health and Safety Code[1].   You can...

The city of Ventura and all of the surrounding communities have harsh penalties for drug crimes. If you are arrested or charged with any drug crime, it is important to speak to a skilled criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. In the meantime, there are important things for you to know inc...

Is a Swiss Army Knife a Weapon? In June of 2016, the California Supreme Court[1] affirmed a lower court ruling which held that a common slipjoint folding knife, in this case specifically a “Swiss Army Knife,” was not a “dirk or dagger,” prohibited when carried in the open position and concealed,...