How to choose an attorney in Ione.
I'm Chris Parkhurst, Esq., and I've been defending criminal cases in Northern California since 1999. My State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team.
Ione has about about 7,000, a figure that includes the state prison population. In a place this size the question isn't really which firm has the biggest advertising budget — it's who has actually stood in the Jackson courtroom your case is going to. In my opinion that's the thing to ask any attorney before you hire them.
Where a Ione case is heard.
Amador Superior Court, 500 Argonaut Ln, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 257-2600
Amador County has one courthouse, so there's no question of which building or which division. Your case is filed by the Amador County District Attorney, 708 Court St, Suite 202, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 223-6444
That charging decision happens after the arrest, not during it. The District Attorney can file what you were arrested for, file something else, reduce it, or decline it. That gap is where the most can usually be done, and it's the stretch most people spend waiting.
For the wider picture, see criminal defense in Amador County.
Who arrested you, and where it happened.
Ione has something no other city in Amador County has: Mule Creek State Prison, at 4001 Highway 104. It opened in 1987 and covers around 866 acres.
That matters more than it might sound. It means a share of Ione's population is in custody rather than living in town, so population figures for Ione don't describe the community the way they would elsewhere. It also means the corridor along Highway 104 carries staff and visitor traffic that other Amador roads don't.
Ione runs its own police department out of 1 East Main Street. Highway 104 and Highway 124 both pass through, and the case still goes to Jackson — Amador County has one courthouse.
Which agency arrested you is the first thing worth knowing
Ione Police Department — 1 E Main St, Ione, CA 95640. (209) 274-2456
The California Highway Patrol also works the highways through this part of the county, and a CHP stop produces different paperwork than a local one. The report drives the case — who wrote it, what equipment they used, whether body-worn footage exists. So when you call, tell me who arrested you.
What I defend in Ione.
DUI defense
A California DUI is two cases: the criminal one in Jackson, and a separate DMV proceeding with a 10-day deadline nobody at the roadside will remind you about. See DUI defense.
Domestic violence
An arrest usually brings a criminal protective order before your first appearance, and it can keep you out of your own home. See domestic violence defense.
Everything else
Drug charges, theft and property crimes, violent crimes, weapons charges, white collar allegations, juvenile matters and record clearing. See all practice areas.
Why Ione clients call me.
I know Amador County's court
Ione cases are filed by the Amador County District Attorney and heard at Amador Superior Court in Jackson. I appear there.
I know the agencies that make arrests here
Ione PD is a small city department, and the CHP works Highway 104 and Highway 124 through town. Which of them stopped you changes what the report looks like, so tell me who it was.
Getting to me from Ione
My offices are in Sacramento at 701 E Street and in Roseville at 970 Reserve Drive, Suite 116. In many cases I appear for you and you don't have to make the trip at all.
Around Ione.
I defend cases across Amador County and nine other Northern California counties. Other places I serve in this county:
What a conviction can cost.
A conviction reaches past the sentence. County jail or state prison depending on the charge, fines, probation conditions, and restitution are the immediate part. The longer part is a permanent record that shows up in professional licensing, employment background checks, housing applications, firearm rights and immigration status.
What any of that means for you depends on the charge and on your history. Call and I'll tell you what you're actually facing.
Ione questions I hear most.
Is there a court in Ione?
No. Every criminal case in Amador County is heard at Amador Superior Court, 500 Argonaut Ln, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 257-2600 More on how that court and that District Attorney work: Amador County.
Does Mule Creek State Prison affect my case?
Not directly, if your case is an ordinary Ione arrest. The prison matters to the community and to the traffic on Highway 104, and it means Ione's population figures include people in custody. If your matter actually involves the prison, tell me — that's a different conversation.
Who arrested me in Ione?
The Ione Police Department, at 1 East Main Street, unless you were stopped on Highway 104 or Highway 124, in which case it may have been the CHP. If you're trying to help someone who is in custody, this walks through what to do first.
Where would I be booked?
The Amador County Jail, 700 Court St, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 223-6522 If you're trying to help someone who is in custody, this walks through what to do first.
Call before your first court date
Have your citation or booking paperwork with you if you can. One of my favorite aspects of my job is the opportunity I have every day to meet people who are scared and to give them peace of mind. I treat my clients the way I would want an attorney to treat my mother, if she met with one.
Call (916) 277-8299. The consultation is free.
