The Challenge
An off-duty police captain was investigated for brandishing a firearm. He was accused of pointing a loaded gun at another person and threatening to shoot while intoxicated. As a GS-12 captain, he supervised roughly 300 civilian and military police officers. The possible charges included brandishing a firearm (Penal Code 417), criminal threats (Penal Code 422), and assault with a firearm (Penal Code 245). Each carried a firearms prohibition: ten years for brandishing, lifetime for the felonies. A police captain who cannot carry a firearm cannot keep his job.
Our Strategy
We reviewed the investigation and the evidence in detail. We presented the client’s clean record, his professional history, and his willingness to accept responsibility. Through negotiation with the prosecution, the case was resolved as a misdemeanor for disturbing the peace under Penal Code 415. That offense carries no firearms prohibition. The client avoided the more serious charges, kept his ability to carry a weapon, and kept his career.
The Result
CHARGES REDUCED
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.
