Santa Clarita Criminal Defense Attorney | Gramling Law Group

7 hours ago

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Santa Clarita Criminal Defense Attorney

Gramling Law Group is a criminal defense and family law firm that represents people charged with crimes in Santa Clarita and throughout Los Angeles County. Daniel Gramling spent years as a public defender before opening the firm, and he brings that courtroom experience to DUI, domestic violence, drug, theft, assault, and felony cases heard at the Santa Clarita courthouse in Valencia. The firm quotes flat fees before you sign anything and offers limited scope options for people who need help with one hearing or one motion.

Clients from Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, Stevenson Ranch, and Castaic work with the firm the same way: an initial consultation by phone or video, a flat-fee quote for the stage of the case that is in front of them, and direct access to the attorney from that point forward. The firm also represents people from San Fernando, Sylmar, and Palmdale whose cases land in the same courthouse.

Where Santa Clarita Criminal Cases Are Heard

Many misdemeanor cases arising in Santa Clarita, Valencia, Canyon Country, Newhall, and Stevenson Ranch are heard at the Santa Clarita courthouse in Valencia, while felony cases from the Santa Clarita Valley are typically assigned to the San Fernando courthouse. Confirm the courthouse printed on your citation or release paperwork on the Los Angeles County Superior Court website.

Most Santa Clarita cases begin with a stop or a call handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which polices Santa Clarita under contract, and the California Highway Patrol on the 5 and 14. The arresting agency's report is the prosecutor's starting point, and it is usually incomplete or slanted in ways that matter. The firm requests the full report, the body camera and dash camera footage, the dispatch audio, and any calibration or maintenance records for testing equipment before advising a client what the case is worth.

Your first court date is set when you are cited or released, and it cannot be ignored. A missed arraignment produces a bench warrant and often a hold on your driver's license. Check the courthouse and time on the court's website, and contact the firm before the date so that the appearance can be handled correctly, which in many misdemeanor cases means the attorney appears without you.

Criminal Charges We Defend for Santa Clarita Clients

DUI. Drivers arrested in Santa Clarita for DUI are typically charged under both subdivisions of Vehicle Code section 23152: driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more. A separate DMV suspension runs on its own track and must be contested within ten days of the arrest. The firm defends both proceedings, looks for problems with the traffic stop, the field sobriety tests, and the chemical test, and negotiates for reduced charges such as a wet reckless under Vehicle Code section 23103.5 when the evidence supports it.

Domestic violence charges. A domestic violence arrest in Santa Clarita usually results in a charge under Penal Code section 273.5, corporal injury to a spouse or intimate partner, or Penal Code section 243, subdivision (e)(1), battery on a spouse, cohabitant, or dating partner. Penal Code section 273.5 is a wobbler that can be filed as a felony. The court will issue a criminal protective order under Penal Code section 136.2 at the first appearance, which can bar you from your own home and your children, and a conviction affects custody under Family Code section 3044 and firearm rights. The firm handles the criminal case and the family law consequences together.

Drug charges. Drug cases in Santa Clarita range from misdemeanor possession under Health and Safety Code section 11350 and Health and Safety Code section 11377 to felony possession for sale under Health and Safety Code section 11351 and Health and Safety Code section 11378. Most of these cases begin with a search, and a search that exceeded its lawful scope can be challenged with a motion under Penal Code section 1538.5. Where the evidence holds up, the firm pursues diversion, treatment, and other outcomes that avoid a conviction.

Theft and shoplifting. Shoplifting under Penal Code section 459.5, petty theft under Penal Code section 484, grand theft under Penal Code section 487, and burglary under Penal Code section 459 are among the most common charges the firm sees from Santa Clarita. A theft conviction is a crime of dishonesty that follows a person into job applications and licensing, so the firm pushes hard for diversion, reduction, or dismissal, particularly for first offenses.

Assault and battery. Simple assault under Penal Code section 240 and battery under Penal Code section 242 are misdemeanors, while assault with a deadly weapon under Penal Code section 245 and battery causing serious bodily injury under Penal Code section 243, subdivision (d), are wobblers that can be felonies. Self-defense is the most common defense, and it depends on evidence gathered early: witnesses, video from nearby businesses, and photographs of injuries on both sides.

Warrants and probation violations. If you have an outstanding warrant from the Santa Clarita courthouse, the safest way to resolve it is to have an attorney add the case to the calendar and appear with you, rather than waiting for a traffic stop. Probation violations are heard by a judge without a jury and can result in the suspended sentence being imposed, so they deserve the same preparation as a trial. The firm also brings motions to terminate probation early under Penal Code section 1203.3.

Expungement and diversion. Diversion under Penal Code section 1001.95 and Penal Code section 1001.36 can resolve a Santa Clarita misdemeanor without a conviction, and a petition for dismissal under Penal Code section 1203.4 on form CR-180 can clear a conviction that is already on your record. The firm also reduces eligible felonies to misdemeanors under Penal Code section 17, subdivision (b). These tools are underused, and the firm raises them in every case where they apply.

What to Do After an Arrest in Santa Clarita

Do not talk to the police about the facts. Officers in Santa Clarita are trained to obtain statements, and anything you say is written down from their perspective. You have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, and invoking both clearly and politely is the single most useful thing you can do. Give your name and identification, and say nothing else about what happened.

Preserve evidence and write down what you remember while it is fresh, but keep those notes for your attorney only. Names of witnesses, the location of cameras, text messages, and receipts that establish where you were and when all matter, and they disappear quickly.

Get an attorney involved before the arraignment. Prosecutors in Los Angeles County make their first offer early, and that offer is based on the police report alone unless the defense has already put better information in front of them. An attorney who appears at the arraignment, which in most misdemeanor cases can be done without you under Penal Code section 977, is in a position to shape the case from the start.

Why Santa Clarita Clients Choose Gramling Law Group

Daniel Gramling is a former public defender, which means he has handled the volume and variety of cases that only that job provides and has stood in front of the judges and prosecutors who decide what happens in Los Angeles County criminal courtrooms. He knows what the district attorney's office in Los Angeles County typically offers on a first DUI, how the Santa Clarita courthouse runs its calendar, and which arguments actually move a case.

The firm quotes flat fees before you sign, offers limited scope options for people who need an attorney for one hearing or one motion, and keeps the attorney, not an intake team, as your point of contact. Cases are prepared for trial from day one, because prosecutors make their best offers to lawyers who are ready to try the case. The firm serves the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern California except San Diego County.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where will my Santa Clarita criminal case be heard?

Criminal cases arising in Santa Clarita are generally heard at the Santa Clarita courthouse in Valencia. The courthouse and date are printed on your citation or release paperwork, and the firm confirms both before your first appearance because assignments vary by charge and arresting agency.

Do I have to go to court for a misdemeanor in Santa Clarita?

Usually not for every hearing. Penal Code section 977 allows an attorney to appear for a defendant in most misdemeanor matters, which spares clients from missing work for routine court dates. Personal appearance is required in felony cases and in certain misdemeanors such as domestic violence, and the firm will tell you which dates you must attend.

How much does a criminal defense lawyer cost in Santa Clarita?

Gramling Law Group quotes a flat fee up front for each stage of the case after a consultation, so you know the cost before signing. The fee depends on the charge, the courthouse, and whether the case is a misdemeanor or a felony, and limited scope options are available for a single hearing, a warrant recall, a DMV hearing, or an expungement.

Can a DUI or domestic violence charge in Santa Clarita be dismissed?

It depends on the evidence. Cases are dismissed when a suppression motion succeeds, when a witness will not cooperate or is not credible, when the testing evidence has problems, or when the defendant completes diversion under Penal Code section 1001.95 or Penal Code section 1001.36. The firm reviews each of those paths in every Santa Clarita case; no outcome can be guaranteed.

Call Gramling Law Group at (909) 654-4575 or request a flat-fee quote through this website to speak with a criminal defense attorney about your Santa Clarita case. The firm serves the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern California, and it offers flat-fee and limited scope options for every stage of a criminal case.

This page is educational and is not legal advice. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship until a written agreement is signed. It addresses California law only.

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Learn more about our criminal defense services serving the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, and Southern California.

Ready to talk? Request a flat-fee quote or call (909) 654-4575 to reach the attorney directly. Facing a family law matter too? See our Santa Clarita divorce and family law attorney page, our DUI defense page, and our domestic violence restraining order page.