Mesa DUI & Criminal Defense Lawyer | Gordon Thompson

Arrested in Mesa for DUI – or related to someone who was?

Here’s the help you need …
for yourself & those you love!

Being arrested in Mesa, Az.  for DUI or any crime can be a living nightmare – for you and your family. The humiliation, anxiety and uncertainly about the future can reap havoc in your life. And the consequences can devastate your financial future.

Mesa DUI & Criminal Defense Lawyer

I’m Gordon Thompson, an Arizona attorney focusing on DUI Defense in Mesa and throughout Arizona. I have the experience, expertise and personal passion to help you through each step of your DUI and criminal defense.

My first goal is to get your case Mesa DUI dismissed – or a verdict of not guilty – which is always the preferred result.

If that is not possible then I step up where other DUI attorneys step away. That means long after the last court date I continue to work with you – and your family – to help avoid or minimize the many adverse consequences of a DUI.

And that can mean a better, brighter future than you might think possible now.

Put Gordon Thompson on your side for service & satisfaction second to none!

When you choose Gordon Thompson to represent you as a DUI defense lawyer …

• You are updated on every development in your Mesa DUI case – large or small – as it happens.
• You get timely reminders for all court dates, hearings and deadlines – including eligibility dates such as when you can reinstate a driver license.
• Your every phone call, text and email are answered ASAP – unlike many other DUI attorneys.
• For your convenience, Office Conference by Skype for those who cannot come in to my Central Phoenix office.
• Your DUI case is handled personally by me, Gordon Thompson – not lost in a large firm where no one is personally responsible.
• Your premium service includes immediate access to police reports, plea offers, witness interviews and other material – and you can discuss with Gordon 24/7.
• Your needs and lifestyle matters. We care about your DUI case and restoring you back to “normal” as fast as possible. We help to accommodate your schedules and home responsibilities, will assist with jail and home detention services, community service issues, and can help you find a counselor to address special challenges, online screenings, and other crucial issues.
• You’re supported after sentencing. Unlike other attorneys, Gordon provides continuing aftercare services including help with deadlines and responsibilities, answering questions and assisting with problems when complying with the court’s sentencing terms.

And that’s not all. As a Gordon Thompson client you also benefit from …

• More than 47 years of experience and expertise as a DUI defense lawyer assisting over 6,000 clients, backed by his exceptional qualifications.
• Less time off from work. (Most cases require 3 to 6 court appearances plus MVD administrative hearing(s) before they are resolved.)
• More value for your money including all-inclusive flat fee agreements with very reasonable, flexible payment terms.
• MVD hearings and trial(s) covered at no extra cost — as well as legal support should future problems arise after the last court date. Most attorneys charge additional fees for these services.
• No extra charge for payment plans vs. payment-in-full. We charge no interest, nor any penalty if a payment is missed.
• Security precautions in place to safeguard your personal data.

Take control over your DUI experience with Gordon Thompson
— to get your best protection for the best outcome!

Call to schedule your complimentary

consultation today!

(602) 467-3680

The court in which your case is filed can affect the outcome.  My Guide to Arizona DUI which includes information about DUI cases in general as well as how cases are processed in individual courts.  Information from the Guide for the Mesa Municipal Court and the Maricopa County Justice Courts in Mesa is listed below.  Click on the links for individual topics such as Primary Police Department for more information in the Guide about the topic.

For Even More information search my  Arizona DUI Attorney Blog

Mesa Az Courts

Mesa Municipal (or City) Court

Police Departments and Practices
Primary Police Department: The Mesa Police Department although Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa have an intergovernmental agreement under which officers from each jurisdiction may patrol in the other jurisdiction.  Mesa Police Officers use Body Cameras and try to record all of their contact with the defendant.
Vehicle Impoundment: Yes always when authorized by law. Mesa Police Department Release Procedures can be found at this web site: Impoundment Release.

Alcohol Testing Methods: Blood only.
Book or Cite and Release: Cite and release.
Service of Admin Per Se Suspension Order at Time of Release: Generally, not served before arrested person is released. The Police Department is supposed to forward test results when they become available to the MVD so that the MVD can initiate Admin Per Se suspension proceeding. This however is not always done which is a problem for those defendants charged with a First Offense DUI and who wish to stipulate to the Admin Per Se suspension either to avoid having to post an SR-22 or because they want the suspension to start on a particular. Defense counsel has to then ask the arresting officer to send the results to the MVD however officers will not always send the results to the MVD upon a request from defense counsel that they do so.

Court
Court Organization: Currrently 4 Trial divisions and cases stay in the same division through trial.
Required Appearance of Defendants Represented by Private Attorneys: No for most divisions however may have to appear for cases in Division 304.
Veterans’ Court: Yes.
Telephonic Changes of Plea: No.
Probation: Not routinely ordered.
Victim Impact Panels (MADD VIP): Not routinely ordered.
Substance Abuse Counseling: Court uses Community Health Services (C.H.C.) as the preferred screening and counseling provider. With court approval can do counseling with any agency approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services with C.H.C. monitoring compliance with screening and counseling.
Sentence Reviews: Yes and defendants have to either appear or fax required documents.
Alternative Sentencing for a First Offense Extreme DUI (28 A.R.S. § 1382.I): Yes. Generally, the defendant is required to install an interlock prior to sentencing and file a motion requesting the Alternative Sentencing. At review hearings defendants are required to provide monthly maintenance records.
Home Detention and Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM): Home Detention and the program provider is C.H.C.
Jail: Beginning on July 1, 2017, Mesa entered into a three year agreement to house sentenced defendants in a private jail in Florence.¹  Defendants surrender at the Mesa Police Department Jail, located at 130 N Robson, Mesa and then are transported to the Florence Jail.  Those defendants who are doing work release are transported daily from Florence to the Mesa City Jail and released from custody there.  The jail costs for defendants is substantially less for the Florence Jail versus the Maricopa County Jail. See my post about Maricopa County Jail costs.  As of January 1, 2018, a defendant is permitted to bring the following when they surrender at the Mesa City jail to serve a sentence at the jail in Florence: limited clothing/personal items, necessary prescriptions in original container, no money unless staying more than 10 days.  Most of the defendant’s property items would be transported but if not anything else will be inventoried and kept at the Mesa City Jail and returned to the defendant upon release from custody.  As a rule, the less taken the better; dress in layers which you can remove if you get warm, and if you bring a sweatshirt make sure it does not have drawstrings; don’t wear open-toed shoes.

Prosecutor: Mesa City Prosecutor.
Plea Policies: Plea offers are not revoked if case is set to trial. The Mesa City Prosecutor in the past has not sent cases which are possible felonies to the Maricopa County Attorney’s office. If the defendant has a DUI case which is a possible felony they should seek to resolve it quickly as a misdemeanor because the Mesa City Prosecutor can send a possible felony case at any time to the County Attorney’s office.
Reckless Driving Plea Offers: Yes although very rarely.

Court’s Website: https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/court
250 E. 1st Avenue, Mesa, Arizona 85210
Phone: (480) 644-2255
Fax: (480) 644-2927
Hours: Monday – Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed City holidays)

Maricopa County Justice Courts in Mesa Az

East Mesa Justice Court

North Mesa Justice Court

West Mesa Justice Court

There are three Maricopa County Justice Courts in Mesa Az.  Those are: East, North and West Mesa Justice Courts.  Since these courts are part of a unified court system and there is one prosecutor, The Maricopa County Attorney the practices in all three of the courts is quite similar.  Therefore, this description of the court practices applies to each of the courts.

Police Departments and Practices
Primary Police Departments: The two primary police departments are the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department (MCSO). Other police departments and agencies include the Gila River Police Department (Gila River) and the Salt River Police Department (Salt River) Arizona Fish and Game Department and the State of Arizona Department of Liquor. Many cases in the West Mesa Justice Court are filed by Salt River.  Also included are cases investigated by a municipal police department outside the boundaries of their municipality, for example, an El Mirage Police Officer investigating a case in Glendale. Police Agencies often conduct joint concentrated DUI enforcement programs around holidays and during these programs often municipal police officers make stops and arrests outside their own municipality. Maricopa County Deputies  use Body Cameras and try to record all of their contact with the defendant.
Vehicle Impoundment: For DPS, MSCO, Gila River and Salt River usually when authorized by law.

Alcohol Testing Methods: For DPS and MCSO can be Breath or Blood only or both. For Gila River and Salt River usually breath only unless the defendant refuses to submit to Breath testing.
Book or Cite and Release: Cite and release except occasionally DPS will book the defendant into the 4th Avenue Jail under circumstances which other police departments would cite and release.
Service of Admin Per Se Suspension Order at Time of Release: For all police departments, with Breath Testing, served before arrested person is released. With blood testing DPS, MCSO and Gila River and Salt River generally do not serve the Admin Per Se at the time of release.

Court
Maricopa County Justice Courts Organization: . There are 26 Maricopa County Justice Courts, 3 of which are located in Mesa. Each court has 1 division in which an elected Justice of Peace presides. Justices of the Peace do not have to be lawyers and a majority of the Justices are not. If a defendant timely files a Notice of Change of Judge the case is transferred to another Justice Court.
Some Justices do not preside over hearings for contested motions or jury trials in their court. If the Justice does not preside over a motion hearing or jury trial the court hires a Judge Pro Tem to be the judge. Judges Pro Tem are also not required to be lawyers. When filing a change of judge for a particular Justice of the Peace a defendant has to be careful because if they file a change of judge they cannot file another change of judge as of right later if they end up at motion hearing or trial with a Pro Tem judge they do not want.
Each Justice Court is a separate court and so practices in the individual courts are determined by that court’s elected Justice of the Peace. As a consequence, practices in the justice courts are not uniform and can vary by court.
The 26 Maricopa County Justice Courts in Mesa are: East Mesa, North Mesa and West Mesa.
Required Appearance of Defendants Represented by Private Attorneys: For the most part, no.
Veterans’ Court: No
Telephonic Changes of Plea: Yes.
Probation: Always ordered however probation may be ordered to terminate by operation of law once the defendant has completed the other terms of the sentence.
Victim Impact Panels (MADD VIP): Depends on the court.
Substance Abuse Counseling: Some courts have preferred screening and counseling agencies however for the most part a defendant can do counseling with any agency approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Sentence Reviews: Varies by court and defendants may have to either appear at scheduled hearings or bring required documents to the court prior to the scheduled hearing. For the most court Maricopa County Justice Courts do not accept faxes, notwithstanding the fact they list their fax numbers online.
Alternative Sentencing for a First Offense Extreme DUI (28 A.R.S. § 1382.I): Yes. Some courts do not require the defendant to provide any proof installation and maintenance of an interlock and others require the defendant to periodically bring interlock maintenance records to the court.
Home Detention and Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM): No. This can mean the defendant has to serve a substantial sentence in jail, for example for a Second Offense .20% Extreme, 180 days in jail.
Jail: Maricopa County Jail. Completed Health Form needed for Work Release. See my post about Maricopa County Jail Costs.

Prosecutor: Maricopa County Attorney.  The Maricopa County Attorney’s office is one of the largest in the United States. The County Attorney’s office assigns newer deputy county attorneys to the justice court and then promotes the deputies to a felony bureau when there is an opening there. As a consequence, the deputy county attorneys assigned to the justice courts change frequently. Although the deputy county attorneys in the justice courts are supervised by a more senior deputy county attorney, the changes of the deputies assigned to the justice courts can affect the consistency of County Attorney’s practices and policies in the justice courts. For example one deputy might make an plea offer which another deputy would not.
Plea Policies: Plea offers are not revoked if case is set to trial unless the assigned deputy county attorney says they will revoke the offer.
Reckless Driving Plea Offers: Yes, although the criteria for making a Reckless Driving plea offer is not always clear. I have gotten a Reckless Driving plea offer for a .16% Extreme case and been denied a request for a First Offense .083% case with no accident and nothing unusual about the case.

East Mesa Justice Court

4811 East Julep, #128, Mesa, AZ  85205

Phone:  (480) 985-0188

Fax:  (480) 396-6327

Court Website:  http://justicecourts.maricopa.gov/locations/court.aspx?loc=EMJC

Hours:  Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed on legal holidays)

North Mesa Justice Court

1837 South Mesa Drive, Mesa, AZ  85210

Phone:  (480) 926-9731

Fax:  None

Court Website:  http://justicecourts.maricopa.gov/locations/court.aspx?loc=NMJC

Hours:  Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed on legal holidays)

West Mesa Justice Court

2050 West University Drive, Mesa, AZ  85201

Phone:  (480) 964-2958

Fax:  (480) 969-1098

Court Website:  http://justicecourts.maricopa.gov/locations/court.aspx?loc=WMJC

Hours:  Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed on legal holidays)

1. Florence Private Jail for Mesa City Court defendants