California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
At the Block at Orange and the surrounding areas on Thursday night, police nabbed 29 juveniles who were in violation of city curfew ordinances. The city of Orange has a curfew ordinance that restricts minors from being out without their parents between the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfew sweep was conducted by the Orange Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Once the minors were found in violation, they were taken to the police station and told to wait until their parents came to pick them up. The consequences of violating a curfew ordinance could be misdemeanor charges and jail time for either the parent or the child. In this sweep, none of the parents or children were charged because the police department wanted to send a warning to the community.
The reason that many cities have curfew ordinances is to help prevent crime, gang association and youth victimization. Whether you live in Irvine, Fullerton, or Foothill Ranch, each city has a curfew ordinance of about 10 p.m. Normally, police will just warn the juvenile and call the juvenile’s parents to come pick them up. Sometimes however, if the police think that juvenile is up to no good, they may request charges to be pressed against the minor for a curfew violation. An experienced attorney will likely be able to fight the charges and make sure the incident is not recorded on the minor’s criminal record.
If you want to know more about curfew violations or any other juvenile crime, call Orange County criminal defense attorney William Weinberg @ 949.474.8008 in his Irvine office.