How Colorado’s Mandatory Minimum Sentences Impact Drug Crime Defense
June 1, 2026
Drunk driving is a problem no matter what time of the year it is, but there always seems to be an uptick around the holidays. Colorado is no exception.
The state barely missed the top-ranking states for drunk driving, slipping through at number 13. Don’t let it fool you, though. Coloradoans have a habit of getting behind the wheel after drinking, with 411 DUI-related arrests happening each year per 100,000 people.
Do you have questions about drunk driving? Here are [...]
Colorado DUI charges are serious business. These charges can lead to severe penalties such as a suspended license, fines and fees, and even jail time. You may even lose your driving privileges altogether.
It’s crucial to understand how DUI laws work in Colorado, including the idea of express consent since it can have a bearing on your case in court.
Here’s what you need to know to make sure you have the information you need to fight a Colorado DUI [...]
The Fourth of July is a time of celebration, but sometimes those celebrations can result in an arrest. There are quite a few types of arrests that tend to spike over the holiday, each with their own possible penalties.
If you or someone you know ran into trouble over the Fourth of July, then there are things you need to know about these common types of arrests and what they can mean for your future.
Why Does Crime in Colorado[...]
In Colorado, the law is strict regarding following proper procedures. That’s how one Colorado cop recently avoided a conviction for drunk driving despite a wide variety of evidence.
The evidence existed, sure – including a BAC reading 5 times the legal limit – but it was collected incorrectly. The law is clear about what evidence can and cannot be included in a trial, and improperly collected evidence may as well be no evidence at all.
The cop was found passed [...]
The holidays are a time when there are plenty of parties, tons of traveling, and abundant alcohol. This can be a great time, or it can be a recipe for disaster.
It’s all too easy to get a DUI during the month when everyone is serving spiked eggnog and there’s a gathering almost every night.
It’s also easy to be safe and smart during the holidays. Avoiding a DUI is as simple as not driving while you’re intoxicated. These three [...]
Only one drug felony level in Colorado carries a true mandatory prison sentence. The other three carry presumptive ranges where a judge still has discretion, meaning the defense strategy in a DF2, DF3, or DF4 case looks completely different from that in a DF1 case. At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver drug crimes attorney has spent more than a decade in Denver courts, working to achieve better outcomes for clients facing felony drug charges.
Only One Drug[...]Yes. Dash cam footage from police vehicles and your own camera can be used to challenge DUI charges in Colorado. The question is not whether it is relevant but whether you know how to obtain it, how Colorado courts evaluate it, and what a defense attorney actually does with it. The Law Office of Jacob E. Martinez has defended DUI cases throughout Denver and surrounding Colorado courts for more than 15 years.
What Colorado Police Dash Cams Actually Record at[...]A deferred judgment and sentence allows a first-time offender in Colorado to plead guilty, complete a period of court supervision, and then have the guilty plea withdrawn and the charge dismissed permanently. For someone facing their first criminal charge, this is often the best available outcome.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense team has negotiated deferred judgment agreements in Colorado courts since 2014.
How a Deferred Judgment and Sentence Works in ColoradoThe defendant enters [...]