Understanding Colorado’s Deferred Judgment and Sentence Options for First Offenders
May 1, 2026
Colorado has made impaired driving a top priority in order to reduce the number of alcohol and drug related injuries and deaths on our roads. For that reason, it’s imperative to understand the different impaired driving offenses you could potentially be arrested for, as well as the specific penalties associated with each one.
DUI – Driving Under the InfluenceWhether you feel impaired or not, you are legally not allowed to drive if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 [...]
The legalization of marijuana has brought a number of marijuana-related concerns to the forefront of public consciousness, and the United States has its eyes on Colorado with our little legal “experiment.”
Besides drug trafficking, one of the major concerns about legalizing marijuana is whether the number of drugged driving incidents will increase.
Well, the statistics for 2015 have come in and the number of marijuana DUIs has decreased…slightly. In 2014, there were 354 marijuana only citations issued, and only 347 [...]
During the holidays, there are more people on the road traveling to visit family and friends or attending holiday parties and gatherings. It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year. But with all the celebrating, it’s also the time of year when far too many people get in their car and drive under the influence of alcohol.
Typically, the holiday season is seen as starting with Thanksgiving – the most traveled weekend of the year – and [...]
DUID is short for “driving under the influence of drugs.” Regardless of legalization laws, it is still a crime to operate a car under the influence of marijuana or any other drug that effects your ability to drive. This can also include prescription drugs.
Colorado Drugged Driving LawsThe Colorado Vehicle Traffic Code contains the laws that deal with drugged driving. Section 42-4-1301(1) states that:
Most adults know that a DUI can be very expensive. In fact, estimated costs are somewhere between $5,000 and $12,000 for a first offense. But what about the “less serious” Colorado charge, the DWAI?
Colorado is one of only two states—New York is the other—with DWAI laws on the books. Short for Driving While Ability Impaired, a DWAI allows police to charge drivers with a BAC over .05%, but below the nationwide legal limit of .08%. To be convicted of [...]
A deferred judgment and sentence allows a first-time offender in Colorado to plead guilty, complete a period of court supervision, and then have the guilty plea withdrawn and the charge dismissed permanently. For someone facing their first criminal charge, this is often the best available outcome.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense team has negotiated deferred judgment agreements in Colorado courts since 2014.
How a Deferred Judgment and Sentence Works in ColoradoThe defendant enters [...]
Eyewitness testimony is undeniably a powerful form of evidence in criminal cases. However, there have been studies showing it is also one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions in Denver and across the United States. This suggests that human memory is not perfect and that some situations can lead to errors in identification.
In Denver, cases involving eyewitness misidentification span a wide range of crimes. You must defend against wrongful convictions, which requires a detailed review of the circumstances [...]
Violating a Colorado protection order can trigger a new criminal charge and contempt proceedings in the same court, and any new sentence must be served back-to-back with the sentence you were already facing, not at the same time. That means a single phone call, text message, or chance encounter can double your exposure while you are still on bond or probation. Denver criminal defense attorneys at the Law Office of Jacob Martinez have defended clients against these charges across Colorado [...]