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California Criminal Defense

Handling Cases Exclusively
In Ventura County California

Law Office of Paul Tyler

Call Us Now / Free Consultation

805-889-9000

Available 24 Hours / 7 Days A Week

Home / Criminal Defense

Criminal Defense in Ventura County

Attorney Paul Tyler. 30 Years Experience Defending DUI and Criminal Matters in Ventura County California.

Getting arrested is frightening — and most of the fear comes from not knowing what happens next. Police and prosecutors understand this, and they use it: the friendly detective who “just wants your side,” the pressure to plead early, the sense that the system is a machine you can’t influence. After 30 years and more than 20,000 court appearances defending people in the Ventura County courts, I can tell you the truth: the system can absolutely be influenced — but the decisions you make in the first hours and days matter enormously. This page explains what happens after an arrest in Ventura County, and what I do about it at every stage.

Rule One: Say Nothing. Call a Lawyer.

You’ve heard the Miranda warning — anything you say can and will be used against you — but most people don’t grasp how literally it applies. Statements to police, to cellmates, to family on a recorded jail phone line: all of it can be used. And police interrogators aren’t only after confessions — they want inconsistent statements, because an innocent inconsistency can be made to look like a lie in front of a jury. You cannot talk your way out of an arrest, but you can absolutely talk your way into a conviction.

So exercise the two rights that matter: remain silent, and ask for an attorney. Then make your first call — or your family’s first call — to me at 805-889-9000. I answer personally, 24 hours a day, because arrests don’t happen during business hours. My complete guide: What to Do If You Get Arrested.

What Happens After an Arrest in Ventura County

Release and the filing decision. After booking, you’ll be released on bail, on your own recognizance, or under supervised release — or held until arraignment. (Before paying a bondsman, read this: Getting a Bail Bond.) Meanwhile, the police report goes to the District Attorney’s office, where a filing deputy decides what charges, if any, to file. Most people don’t know this window exists. I do — and in the right case, presenting exculpatory evidence or context to the DA before filing can mean reduced charges or no charges at all.

Arraignment. Your first court date, where charges are formally presented and a plea is entered. I appear with you (and on misdemeanors, for you — you never need to come to court). Arraignment is also where critical early issues get decided: bail, release conditions, and in domestic violence cases, the protective order that determines whether you can go home. Full walkthrough: What Happens at Arraignment.

Pretrial and the Early Disposition Conference. Ventura County resolves most cases through pretrial conferences — in felony cases, the Early Disposition Conference (“EDC”), which functions as a settlement conference. Before it, I obtain the complete police reports, body camera footage, and evidence, and meet with you to review everything and set the strategy. This is where 30 years of relationships matter: I know which prosecutors will deal, which judges will grant judicial diversion, and what each case is realistically worth in this courthouse.

Motions and preliminary hearing. When the case has legal problems — an illegal stop, a bad search, a defective identification — I litigate them. Suppression motions can gut a prosecution; in felony cases, the preliminary hearing tests whether the evidence even supports the charges, and it’s an opportunity to cross-examine the state’s witnesses under oath. The complete felony roadmap: Dealing With a Felony.

Resolution or trial. Most cases resolve — by dismissal, diversion, reduction, or a negotiated outcome that protects what matters most to you. When the right answer is trial, I try the case. The decision is always yours, made with my honest assessment of the evidence and the realistic outcomes, never under pressure.

The Outcomes I Fight For

Every case is different, but the hierarchy of goals is consistent: dismissal first; judicial diversion where available — in Ventura County, many misdemeanors can be dismissed this way, with the arrest deemed never to have occurred; reduction — felony to misdemeanor, strike to non-strike, the charged offense to a lesser one; and where conviction can’t be avoided, the minimum consequences: no custody, protected licenses, preserved gun rights and immigration status, and a record that can later be cleared. A conviction’s true cost is rarely the fine — it’s the job, the professional license, the custody case, the next twenty years. I defend with all of that in view.

Every Charge, One Attorney

I handle virtually every criminal charge filed in the Ventura County courts, and when you hire me, you get me — not an associate, not a paralegal. Detailed information on each practice area:

Have a question that isn’t answered on these pages? Try my Frequently Asked Questions, or just call — it’s faster.

You Are Presumed Innocent. Make the State Prove It.

The burden never shifts: the prosecution must prove every element of every charge beyond a reasonable doubt, and evidence obtained in violation of your rights can be kept out of court — but only if someone fights for that. Police make mistakes. Witnesses are wrong. Reports leave things out. My job is to find all of it.

If you or a family member has been arrested anywhere in Ventura County — Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Port Hueneme, or Ojai — call me now at 805-889-9000 for a free consultation. From my office in Oxnard, I am in the Ventura County courthouse nearly every day. You have nothing to lose by calling, and everything to lose if you don’t.