Robbery under Penal Code 211 is a serious and violent felony and a strike. Learn the six elements the prosecutor must prove, how shoplifting becomes an Estes robbery, the defenses that work, and the real penalty exposure.

Most people charged with a felony in California have never even heard of: a preliminary hearing. Then suddenly: prosecutors are talking about witnesses officers are testifying attorneys are cross-examining and people realize: “This is getting serious.” A preliminary hearing is one of the most important stages in a California felony case. And in many situations: it completely changes the direction of the case. At Gramling Law Group, we represent criminal defense client

A preliminary hearing is the felony probable cause hearing where a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to send a case to trial. It is not a trial, and most defendants are held to answer, but it is often the first time the defense gets to question the prosecution's witnesses under oath. Here is what happens, when it must occur, and how it shapes the rest of a felony case in Riverside and San Bernardino.