Recently in the Inglewood Court House, Attorney Steve Escovar represented a juvenile client. This client was accused of “Carjacking” in the manner described in Penal Code section 215. The client committed the offense as a minor, but was on the verge of becoming an adult. Understandably, the client did not want this to stain his record permanently as it would if the Prosecutor were to attempt to charge him as an adult. The trouble was an offense as grave as a carjacking is usually permanent. But Steve Escovar helped.
How? First, Steve Escovar gathered information that would help redeem his client's image— Involvement in high school sports, attending at Mass, and various reference letters. After presenting this information to the Deputy District Attorney, Steve Escovar began negotiating. Eventually, he convinced the Deputy District Attorney to change the Carjacking charge to a simple theft offense under Penal Code section 487.
This might seem insignificant, but this greatly influenced the outcome of the case. This is because, while a Carjacking conviction would not likely come off of one's permanent record, a theft is much more likely to. Why?
A theft offense is eligible for “Deferred Entry of Judgement”. This means Steve Escovar would be able to continue the case in Juvenile Court which differs from court proceedings for an adult in three ways: 1.) It has a Juvenile Petition that remains confidential. 2.) There is no adult court proceedings or convictions. 3.)Lastly, the crime may or may not carry over into his clients permanent record depending on the facts of the case.
Incredibly, Mr. Escovar was able to convince the court to grant his client this “Deferred Entry of Judgement”. Since then, the client has successfully completed his conditions, and, now, the case has been dismissed and sealed!
Thanks to Steve Escovar, a young man is freed from a mistake he made in the past. This is yet another example of how an experienced and capable advocate like Mr. Escovar makes a difference in the result of a case.
Note: there are no guarantees. All cases are fact specific; results will vary accordingly.