The Challenge
A young adult was charged with reckless driving under Vehicle Code 23103 after a street racing accident. The other car involved crashed and rolled over. Reckless driving is a misdemeanor. It carries up to 90 days in jail, fines, two DMV points, and a permanent criminal record. Because a crash was involved, the prosecution treated the case as a serious one from the start. For a young driver, a conviction would also have meant years of higher insurance costs and the risk of a license suspension.
Our Strategy
We went through the police reports line by line and found inconsistencies in how officers described our client’s driving and its connection to the crash. Reckless driving requires proof of willful disregard for safety, and the prosecution also had to show that his driving caused the other car to roll. The reports could not support either. We used that record to negotiate a reduction to a speeding infraction under Vehicle Code 22350. An infraction is not a crime. Our client kept a clean criminal record.
The Result
CRIMINAL CHARGE REDUCED TO INFRACTION
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
