How Colorado’s Mandatory Minimum Sentences Impact Drug Crime Defense
June 1, 2026
During certain times of the year, the Colorado Department of Transportation runs the highly publicized Heat is On Campaign in an effort to catch and arrest more drunk drivers.
Typically, CDOT schedules Heat is On Campaigns around common drunk driving occasions such as New Years Eve and other holidays. By adding patrols and checkpoints out on the roads, these campaigns have historically led to increased DUI arrests and convictions. Essentially, law enforcement officers are out in force to catch drunk [...]
If you’ll be in Denver for St. Paddy’s Day, you’ll find many ways to celebrate the holiday.
From pub crawls to Irish-themed dinners, there are dozens of special events planned, and many different places where you can do it. If part of your celebration is going to involve alcohol, take care that you don’t get behind the wheel after drinking. Do so and you risk not only hurting yourself and others, but also possibly getting a DUI.
Here are some [...]
In 2017, a total of 10,359 drivers were arrested during 14 law enforcement periods. That’s way up from the same time span in 2016, when 7,279 drivers were arrested during 12 enforcement periods.
Why were there so many more DUI arrests in Colorado in a one-year time span?
Below, we’re going to explore that question in more detail and offer some possible answers, as well as why it’s so important to get good legal help if you find yourself accused [...]
It’s true: you may be more likely to get a DUI charge in Colorado at Christmas compared to other times of the year. There are several reasons for this. Learn more about the common reasons and what to do if you are charged with a DUI this Christmas.
Drunk driving incidents rise at Christmas for three main reasons: holiday parties, holiday stress, and increased patrols. We’ll discuss each in detail below.
Parties and Get-togethersThis time of year, families and [...]
When holidays come around, Colorado law enforcement officials tend to be out in full force looking for impaired drivers.
This year, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Halloween Heat Is On campaign lasted for a whole week, starting on Friday, October 27, and ending on Thursday, November 2. The campaign hoped to “eliminate impaired driving related injuries and fatalities over Halloween weekend” by setting up DWI – driving while intoxicated – checkpoints as well as increasing and saturating patrols.
Chief of [...]
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 [...]