Choosing the best criminal defense attorney in Yuba City.
If you are looking for a Yuba City criminal defense law firm, start with the question that matters most: who will actually be handling your case? I am Chris Parkhurst, Esq. I have defended criminal cases in Sutter County since 1999, and my State Bar number is 203402. You work with us directly rather than with an intake team or a call center.
What that means in practice is straightforward. I read your file before I tell you what I think of it, I explain what it actually supports, and I give you the realistic range of outcomes rather than the encouraging end of it. For the detail on the charge itself, see criminal defense. To find out what happens next in your case, call.
Where a Yuba City case is heard.
Yuba City is the Sutter County seat, so the court that hears your case is here rather than somewhere else. That is unusual in this county and it is the one thing that makes a Yuba City case simpler than most.
Your case is filed by the Sutter County District Attorney and heard at the Sutter County Superior Court. How that office charges cases, what it does with diversion, and what happens between arrest and arraignment are set at county level rather than city level. I have set all of that out on the Sutter County page.
Who arrested you, and where it happened.
Yuba City Police Department. 1545 Poole Blvd, Yuba City, CA 95993. (530) 822-4660.
- California Highway Patrol. Highway 99 and Highway 20, which meet at the city.
- Sutter County Sheriff. the surrounding agricultural county, including Live Oak and Sutter.
- Marysville Police. across the Feather River, which is Yuba County and a different court entirely.
Yuba City and Marysville function as a single town separated by the Feather River, but the river is a county line. An arrest on this side is a Sutter County case heard here; an arrest on the other side is a Yuba County case heard in Marysville, with a different District Attorney. People cross that bridge without thinking about it and are surprised to find which court they are in. Arrests concentrate along Highway 99 and the Bridge Street corridor.
What I defend in Yuba City.
I defend the full range of charges arising out of Yuba City.
- DUI in Yuba City. Highway 99 and the bridge approaches account for most Yuba City stops.
- Criminal defense. Defended across Sutter County.
- Domestic violence. Defended across Sutter County.
- Violent crimes. Defended across Sutter County.
- Drug crimes. Defended across Sutter County.
- Theft and property. Defended across Sutter County.
- Weapons charges. Defended across Sutter County.
- Sex crimes. Defended across Sutter County.
- Homicide. Defended across Sutter County.
- White collar. Defended across Sutter County.
- Juvenile defense. Defended across Sutter County.
- Licence and DMV. Defended across Sutter County.
- Expungement. Defended across Sutter County.
If your charge is not listed, call me. I defend all criminal charges in Sutter County, and working out what you are actually facing is the first useful thing that happens.
Why Yuba City clients call me.
I know Sutter County's courts
Yuba City is the Sutter County seat, so the court and the District Attorney's office are here. Marysville, five minutes across the river, is a different county with a different prosecutor. I appear in both.
I know the agencies that make arrests here
Yuba City PD covers this side of the river, Marysville PD covers the other, and the Sutter County Sheriff covers the farmland. For two towns that function as one, there are a lot of jurisdictions here.
Getting to me from Yuba City
My offices are in Sacramento and Roseville, about forty-five minutes south. For a Yuba City case the court is at your end.
Whether hiring an attorney is worth it depends on what you are facing. On a first misdemeanour with no record, there are people who reasonably handle it themselves. Where there is a felony, a prior, a professional licence or an immigration question, the consequences compound in ways that are difficult to undo. Call me and I will tell you honestly which situation you are in, and what representation would cost.
Areas I serve around Yuba City.
Yuba City is the county seat, and the river is the county line.
- Downtown and Plumas Street. the historic centre and main late-night area.
- Bridge Street. the route across the Feather River, and the point where the county changes.
- Highway 99 corridor. the main north-south route and the busiest enforcement area.
- Surrounding agricultural county. Sheriff territory, running out to Live Oak and Sutter.
Nearby, I also cover Marysville, Live Oak, Sutter.
What a conviction can cost.
Which of these apply depends on the charge and on your record, not on the city you were arrested in.
- Custody. County jail or state prison, depending on the offence and whether it is charged as a misdemeanour or a felony.
- Probation conditions. Programmes, testing, search terms and reporting, often for years.
- A permanent record. Public and searchable, and it appears in background checks long after the sentence ends.
- Professional licensing. Boards reach their own conclusions, on their own timelines, independently of the court.
- Firearm rights. A lifetime prohibition on a felony, and a ten-year one on several misdemeanours.
- Immigration. Some convictions carry consequences far more serious than the sentence. This needs looking at before a plea.
- Employment and housing. The consequence most people feel longest, and the one discussed least in court.
What your exposure actually is depends on the count charged. That is a conversation, not a webpage.
Yuba City questions I hear most.
Is Yuba City in Yuba County?
No, and this is the most common confusion in the area. Yuba City is in Sutter County. Marysville, across the Feather River, is in Yuba County. Two cities, two counties, two District Attorneys and two courts, about five minutes apart. See Sutter County and Marysville.
I was arrested on the bridge. Which county is that?
It depends which side of the river, and it is worth establishing precisely because the two ends are different counties. Yuba City PD and Marysville PD are separate agencies with separate records, and the cases go to different courts.
I was arrested out in the county near Live Oak.
That is likely a Sutter County Sheriff arrest rather than Yuba City PD. The case is still filed by the Sutter County District Attorney and heard in Yuba City. See Live Oak.
Do I have to appear in court myself?
For most misdemeanours an attorney can appear on your behalf. Felonies generally require your presence.
What does a criminal defence lawyer cost?
It depends on the charge, whether it is a misdemeanour or a felony, and whether the case is likely to resolve or be tried. Call and I will tell you what representation in your situation would cost before you commit to anything. For the general picture, see what a criminal defence lawyer costs in California.
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