Understanding Colorado’s Stand Your Ground Laws in Self-Defense Claims
August 26, 2025
If you’ve been arrested for a DUI, you probably have many questions on your mind. This is understandable — getting caught driving under the influence, even for first-time offenders, can yield significant consequences.
Colorado is actually one of the toughest states in the nation for this offense. To help Coloradans facing a DUI charge, we answer a few of the most common questions we hear from our clients.
Remember that every DUI case is different, and that you should consult [...]
A DUI conviction is devastating. It can be life-altering in many ways. That said, if you are arrested for a DUI with a child passenger, you’ll face a whole new level of ramifications.
You are not only subject to severe criminal and civil penalties of an underlying DUI, (an average cost of $13,000). You will likely incur the separate, and potentially much more severe charge of a child abuse. Under Colorado child abuse law, driving drunk with a child in [...]
CODOT has tallied nearly 146k arrests since the inception of The Heat Is On, Colorado’s DUI enforcement period program. Three hundred and fifty of those arrests were made during New Year’s 2017 alone.
Needless to say, our state takes drinking and driving seriously, and so should you. If you’re reading this post, chances are good you still have time to plan this year’s celebration – and you haven’t finished planning until you’ve confirmed a safe and sober way home.[...]
As a responsible citizen, you are probably well aware of all the consequences associated with driving under the influence in Colorado. Not only does drinking and driving impair your ability to safely perform driving tasks such as steering and reacting to emergency situations, driving while intoxicated is highly illegal. Anyone who’s been arrested for a DUI before can assure you of the harshness of the legal consequences—there’s license suspension, heavy fines, and even jail time.
However, even if you know [...]
Following a DUI or DWI charge, it is not uncommon for a judge in Colorado to issue an order for an alcohol evaluation. An alcohol evaluation is one way for the court to determine whether or not your current rate of alcohol consumption makes you a risk to yourself or others and they are generally handled by treatment facilities, not police officers or legal personnel. Following an evaluation, the facility will present the results to the court, which will review [...]
Self-defense is one of the most frequently raised arguments in Colorado criminal cases involving assault, homicide, or weapons charges. When a person believes their safety is threatened, the law allows them to use reasonable force to protect themselves. However, the scope of that right depends on the circumstances. While some states have explicit “stand your ground” statutes, Colorado takes a different approach, blending principles of the Castle Doctrine, the state’s “Make My Day” law, and court rulings that have shaped [...]
If a prosecutor has surveillance footage, you might feel your case is hopeless. The reality is, this powerful evidence is not foolproof. The Law Office of Jacob Martinez, a Denver, CO criminal defense attorney, focuses on challenging the reliability of surveillance footage. We investigate technical flaws like poor image quality and legal issues such as a compromised chain of custody or constitutional violations. By exposing these vulnerabilities, we can work to have the footage excluded or cast significant doubt on [...]
The legal process can be confusing and intimidating, with serious consequences for your future, your freedom, and your reputation. Knowing you have a lawyer who understands the local legal system, knows the judges and prosecutors, and is ready to act on your behalf can make a significant difference. If you are in Denver, having a Denver, CO criminal defense lawyer with this local insight is particularly important.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, we are deeply familiar with Denver’s [...]