What Happens at a Denver Preliminary Hearing After Felony Arrest
June 19, 2026
You’re never too old for Halloween. Every year, thousands of adults join in on the Halloween spirit by dressing up and attending parties. The key difference to many adult celebrations, however, is the inclusion of alcohol.
Although these festivities are good-natured fun, whenever there’s alcohol involved, there’s a risk. In fact, October 31st has one of the highest rates for vehicle accidents and fatalities associated with driving under the influence.
Halloween Drinking and Driving Accidents by the NumbersResearch shows [...]
Operating a motor vehicle in Colorado under the influence of, while impaired from, or with an excessive internal alcoholic content all fall under the umbrella of “Driving Under the Influence,” or DUI.
There are a number of penalties in place for violation of DUI law in our state, including the requirement to pay a fine, report to a probation officer, complete counseling, and perform community service. However, under certain circumstances you may be granted a deferred judgement.
What does this [...]
Everyone deserves a second chance after a DUI.
After all, your first DUI may have been a simple mistake. People are less forgiving, however, after a second DUI arrest.
If you thought you had to fight hard after your first DUI charge, you are going to need to fight twice as hard to avoid the heavy penalties that come with a second DUI conviction.
In this post, we’re going to detail how consequences increase with second DUI offenses.
Penalties for[...]If you cause an accident while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you face not only a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) charge, but also other serious criminal charges that could be punishable by lengthy incarceration and driver’s license revocation.
The exact charges resulting from a DWI accident will depend on whether anyone was injured or killed, and if so, the severity of the injuries. Other circumstances surrounding the offense may also affect sentencing and penalties.
Below, we cover [...]
If you are facing drugged driving charges in Colorado, certain defenses have a pretty good chance of working… while others really aren’t worth your time.
In this post we’re going to talk about common strategies people try with these types of cases, focusing on which ones are generally good and which ones just plain don’t work.
First, though, a bit about DUID charges.
Understanding Drugged Driving in ColoradoDriving under the influence of any drug is a serious crime in [...]
A preliminary hearing in a felony case in Colorado is one of the earliest opportunities for the prosecution’s evidence to be tested before a judge. It happens after charges have been filed and the defendant has made an initial appearance, but before the case moves into trial court. The hearing is not about deciding guilt or innocence. Instead, the court is checking whether the prosecution has sufficient evidence to move the case forward.
In Colorado, this stage is often [...]
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[...]