Disorderly Conduct | Public Intoxication | Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney

DISORDERLY CONDUCT

Disorderly Conduct Charge • Disorderly Conduct Lawyer

      Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney
                                Los Angeles Disorderly Conduct Lawyer

Disorderly Conduct
Unlike other California laws, the California disorderly conduct statute covers a variety of seeming unrelated activities, including panhandling, loitering, prostitution, public drunkenness and squatting. Some people say that the disorderly conduct law is there to give police officers a way to make an arrest when they get annoyed with a person’s behavior. That may be one of the reasons why thousands of people are arrested every year in and around Los Angeles for doing things that are considered disorderly conduct by the arresting officer.

Even though disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor offense, it creates a criminal history for the defendant. Any time a background check is conducted for employment, it is going to show up. Because the California disorderly conduct law can be interpreted so broadly, it is important to have an experienced criminal defense attorney review the circumstances surrounding the arrest and determine whether any crime has been committed. The attorneys at Stephen G. Rodriguez & Associates have the experience it takes to look at a disorderly conduct charge from every angle and get the charged dismissed if at all possible, or if not, to get the charges reduced.

California Disorderly Conduct Law
The disorderly conduct law is contained in California Penal Code Section 647. Disorderly conduct is a “catch all” misdemeanor crime that applies to a number of different activities, including:

Public lewd conduct - Touching one’s own or another person's genitals, buttocks, or breasts for self-gratification or to annoy another person (e.g., a person who grabs his genitals and makes suggestive comments as people walk by could be arrested for disorderly conduct)
Loitering around a public toilet for the purpose of engaging in lewd or unlawful act (e.g., a person who waits around the entrance of a men’s restroom at the Los Angeles airport for the purpose of soliciting sex could be arrested for disorderly conduct)
Prostitution – anyone who solicits or agrees to engage another in an act of prostitution
Panhandling
Squatting – living in a building or other place without the owner’s permission
Public Drunkenness – being under the influence of alcohol or drugs in a public place to a degree that the person is a threat to his or her own safety or that of others and/or obstructing the public way
Loitering – standing or wandering around someone else’s private property with no lawful purpose for doing so
Window peeping – Looking into the windows or doors of a private structure while loitering (e.g., a “peeping Tom” could be charged with disorderly conduct)
Electronic peeping – looking through a hole or other opening into a bedroom, tanning booth, fitting room or any other place private place using anything other than one’s eyes. (e.g., using a camera or binoculars)

Penalties for Disorderly Conduct
In California, disorderly conduct offenses are misdemeanors. The penalties for a first disorderly conduct conviction are jail time for up to180 days of county jail time and/or various fines. It is unlikely that a first offense will result in jail time; but if the circumstances are serious and/or the defendant is a repeat offender, a disorderly conduct conviction can result in significant county jail time and/or community service. An experienced criminal defense attorney can focus the prosecutor’s and judge’s attention on a defendant’s strengths and raise all of the reasons why the penalties for the crime should be as minimal as possible.

Aggressive & Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyers
I am Stephen G. Rodriguez, and I have represented many clients facing disorderly conduct charges. I have aggressively protected my client’s rights and freedom by providing them with the best legal defense available. When I represent clients who have been arrested for disorderly conduct, I strive to provide them with accurate information, to communicate their options clearly, and to answer all of their questions. My goal is to make the process less frustrating. I want my clients to feel informed, and secure with the decisions they make. Contact me to discuss your case immediately.

Law Offices of Stephen G. Rodriguez
633 West 5th Street
26th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90071

Telephone
(213) 223-2173

Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys Stephen G. Rodriguez and Associates represent clients in the Los Angeles county area, which include, Airport Courthouse, Alhambra Superior Court, Antelope Valley Court, Bellflower/Cerritos Courthouse, Beverly Hills Court, Burbank Courthouse, Catalina Courthouse, Central Arraignment Court, Central Civil West Courthouse, Chatsworth Court, Criminal Courts Building/Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Compton Superior Court, Culver City Court, David V. Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center, Downey Courthouse, Eastlake Juvenile Court, East Los Angeles Court, El Monte Courthouse, Glendale Courthouse, Hollywood Court, Inglewood Courthouse, Inglewood Juvenile Courthouse, Long Beach Superior Court, Los Padrinos Juvenile Courthouse, Central District Court (Downtown Los Angeles Federal Court), Malibu Court, Mental Health Courthouse, Metropolitan Courthouse, Norwalk Superior Court, Pasadena Superior Court, Pomona Courthouse North, Pomona Courthouse South, Redondo Beach Courthouse, San Fernando Court, San Pedro Court, San Pedro Courthouse Annex, Santa Clarita Court, Santa Monica Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Sylmar Juvenile Court, Torrance Superior Court, Van Nuys Courthouse East, Van Nuys Courthouse West, West Covina/Citrus Court, West Los Angeles Court, and Whittier Superior Court.

Some of the terms that pertain to our practice include, but are not limited to: dui, child abuse, identity theft, drunk driving, fraud, domestic violence, grand theft, felony, kidnapping, narcotics, robbery, misdemeanors, restraining order, TROs, arrest warrant, theft, hit and run, vandalism, arson, shoplifting, stalking, cyber stalking, embezzlement, burglary, extortion, bench warrant, expungement, criminal threats, sex crimes, solicitation, probation violation, suspended license, carjacking, gun weapon, attempted murder, petty theft, alternative sentencing, lewd conduct, drug possession, clear criminal record, juvenile offense, seal juvenile records, prostitution, rape, bail, criminal appeal, assault, battery, attempted murder, solicitation for prostitution, criminal threats, trespass, commercial burglary, residential burglary, theft crimes, credit card fraud, violent crimes, proposition 36, perjury, murder, attempted murder, three strikes, prostitution, rape, statutory rape, receiving stolen property, forgery, vandalism, weapons, gun charges, vehicular manslaughter, disorderly conduct, drug diversion, DEJ, grand theft, grand theft auto, house arrest, electronic monitoring, marijuana, conspiracy, petty theft with prior, attempt crimes, drug offenses, bribery, blackmail, child abuse, and bench warrant.