Orange County Man Charged with DUI and Manslaughter in deaths of three women.

An orange county resident, Anthony Lewis Sanchez, has been charged with DUI and three felony counts of Manslaughter following an incident on saturday evening. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors in orange county allege that Sanchez, who is 40, was driving down Western Avenue at a high rate of speed shortly after 11pm on saturday. As he approached the intersection of Del Monte Drive, he hit a mother, her daughter and a niece who were crossing the street after leaving a baby shower. The victims were Carmen Mendoza, 56, Sheyla Mendoza and Stephanie Henriquez, both aged 21. Sanchez was found to have a blood alcohol level of .17%, more than twice the legal limit.

If convicted, Sanchez faces up to twelve years in prison.

DUI cases are treated with an understandable degree of seriousness in Orange County, and incidents like this will make it tougher to defend DUI cases even where there is no traffic collision and no one was injured. Prosecutors always think in terms of what might have happened and want to protect the public from drunk drivers by putting them in jail. Defending DUI cases in Orange County requires experience and knowledge. It also requires an understanding that the defense should always address the courts legitimate concerns over public safety. There are steps that every defendant can take to convince the court that they are taking the charges seriously and that there will be no repeat of the DUI arrest in his or her case.

Jeffrey Gold and Nigel Witham are experienced Los Angeles and Orange County felony DUI lawyers. You may reach them at 562 938 7771 for a free consultation.