At some point today, 52-year-old actor, John Stamos will be in front of a Los Angeles Court Judge today for arraignment of his DUI charge. He is facing one misdemeanor count of DUI which is a result of his June 12th arrest, when he was allegedly driving erratically and behaving strangely.
It appears that drugs were the culprit of Stamos’s DUI and alcohol was not a factor. Prosecutors are saying that the hospital records revealed drugs in Stamos’s body but they are not sharing what type of drug.
A DUI involving drugs and a DUI involving alcohol are essential the same charge, “Driving Under the Influence” thus the penalties are the same.
If found guilty of this DUI charge, Stamos, aka “Uncle Jesse” on the 1987-1995 sitcom “Full House” could face up to 6 months in county jail.
What is an arraignment and what happens?
An arraignment is the first appearance in court, which is referred to as the “arraignment hearing.” At this hearing the person accused, called the defendant, is formally told of the crime(s) he or she is accused of and is advised of his or her rights. The judge will want to hear the defendant plead guilty or not guilty. ** The DUI and criminal defense attorneys of David O Defense strongly encourage every defendant to plead not guilty at the arraignment hearing.** After the defendant pleads not guilty the court will consider whether or not to take the defendant into custody while the case is pending or consider conditions of release.
Examples of conditions of release could include but are not limited to:
- Bail (monetary collateral to the court to guarantee an individual’s presence in court when scheduled).
- Law abiding behavior.
- No contact with certain persons.
- Installation of an ignition interlock.
- No driving under certain conditions.
- Required electronic home monitoring with alcohol detection devices.
- Random urinalysis test.
- Released on personal recognizance (simply agree to return back to court as scheduled).
To learn more about how the courts proceed with DUI or criminal cases see our page Criminal Court Process.