How to choose an attorney in Sutter Creek.
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.
Sutter Creek has about about 2,500. 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 Sutter Creek 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.
Sutter Creek runs along State Route 49 with its police department on Main Street, in the middle of the historic district. It's a small town with a lot of visitor traffic, and visitor traffic means stops of people who don't know the road.
The case doesn't stay in Sutter Creek. It's filed by the Amador County District Attorney and heard at Amador Superior Court in Jackson, a few minutes south on the same highway.
Sutter Creek Police is a small department with its own report-writing habits and its own equipment. That's worth knowing before anyone reads the file.
Which agency arrested you is the first thing worth knowing
Sutter Creek Police Department — 18 Main St, Sutter Creek, CA 95685. (209) 267-5646
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 Sutter Creek.
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 Sutter Creek clients call me.
I know Amador County's court
Sutter Creek 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
Sutter Creek PD is small enough that the same officers turn up repeatedly. What their reports typically contain, and what they typically leave out, matters to how a case gets tested.
Getting to me from Sutter Creek
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 Sutter Creek.
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.
Sutter Creek questions I hear most.
Is there a court in Sutter Creek?
No. Amador County has one courthouse, and it's in Jackson — Amador Superior Court, 500 Argonaut Ln, Jackson, CA 95642. (209) 257-2600 More on how that court and that District Attorney work: Amador County.
Who arrested me in Sutter Creek?
Most likely the Sutter Creek Police Department, at 18 Main Street. If you were stopped on the highway it may have been the CHP instead, and that changes what paperwork exists. 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.
How soon should I call?
Before your first court date, and ideally before charges are filed. The window between arrest and filing is where the most can usually be done.
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.
