DWI Defense Attorney

DWI Defense Attorney in Conroe, TX

If You are Charged with DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) in Texas, YOU ONLY HAVE 15 DAYS from the day you receive the Notice of Suspension of your driver’s license to notify the Department of Public Safety of your request for a hearing If you have received such a notice, and do not notify the Department of Public Safety in time, YOUR LICENSE WILL BE SUSPENDED.  

As your DWI Attorney, I can help immediately: 

Once retained, I WILL REQUEST A HEARING FOR YOU! To protect your license, I advise that we send in a request for a hearing to the DPS. As your DWI Attorney, I then will represent you at your ALR hearing. If you do eventually lose your license, I can petition the court for an occupational license for you. In most cases you will not lose your ability to drive. If you are charged with DWI, the odds are stacked against you, now more than ever. Let me help you fight back and fight quickly.

Do Not Lose Your Right to Drive, Act Immediately!

Call Now For Help! 936.756.3333

If I had one or two drinks does that mean I am guilty?

Not necessarily, however the consumption of alcohol may be a factor in your arrest. In Texas you can have a drink and drive. You cannot and should not drive if those drinks affect your normal mental and physical fatalities. A 0.02 generally equals one drink. A drink is considered to be:

• 1/4 ounces of liquor,
• 12 ounces of beer, or
• 1 glass of wine

It typically takes one hour for the body to burn off a 0.02 down to a 0.00. Thus, to reach a 0.08 a person must consume four drinks in one hour. However, each persons body metabolizes alcohol at a different rate and many factors influence the rate of metabolism.

I have been arrested for DWI Driving While Intoxicated, now what?

In most cases you have been pulled over by the police for some minor traffic violation. The police officer contacts you and s/he observes some signs which s/he believes indicate intoxication. S/he performs field sobriety testing. You might believe that you passed the test, however you are arrested. Your case will now be filed with the local District Attorney’s office. You will have a court date in several weeks and you are facing a DWI charge. In most counties you will receive a first appearance date. This date can be from three weeks to several months after the arrest. On this setting, you appear in court and review the case and usually reset the case for another date. You may reset the case one or more times but eventually you will have to decide to either contest the charge and set the case for trial or agree to a plea bargain. It is important to contact an attorney right away. There is evidence that can be lost if you wait several weeks or months. An experienced attorney can review the evidence and point out the strengths and weakness of the case against you to help you make the right decision. You also have the Administrative License Revocation (ALR) process to be concerned with and you need to decide if you want a hearing to contest that license revocation or obtain an occupational license in the alternative.

What is DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)?

The Texas DWI Statute falls under Title 10, Chap 49 of the Texas Penal Code: Intoxication & Alcoholic Beverage Offenses. DWI is a criminal offense that says a person may not drive a motor vehicle in a public place while “intoxicated”. The DWI statute does not say driving while drunk or “drunk driving.” What is the legal definition of Intoxicated? Intoxication means not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substance into the body; or having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.

The Legal Definition of Intoxication in Texas Is:

* Having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more

* Not having the normal use of physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substances into the body * Not having the normal use of mental faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of two or more of those substances, or any other substances into the body The State only needs to prove one of the three ways beyond a reasonable doubt in order to obtain a conviction.

What does ‘normal’ mean?

According to the law, the definition of the word normal is the average person. The problem is how do we determine the average person? The law is vague in this subject, which lends itself for good argument to a jury that everyone is different and each has his own normal.

What is 0.08-alcohol concentration?

“Alcohol concentration” is defined by statute as:

•  the number of grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood;
•  the number of grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath; or
•  the number of grams of alcohol per 67 milliliters of urine.

In the state of Texas, a person commits the offence of driving while intoxicated if the person is intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place. If a law enforcement officer has reasonable suspicion that a person is driving while intoxicated, s/he may make a traffic stop.  During the traffic stop, the officer will examine the driver for signs of intoxication.  If the officer has reason to suspect that the driver is intoxicated, s/he may ask the driver to consent to a breath alcohol test and/or field sobriety tests.  If the driver has a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher, or if the person fails his/her field sobriety tests, the officer may make a DWI arrest.

The Officer determined I failed the field tests, are field sobriety tests very accurate?

If performed in a controlled environment in the exact proscribed standardized manner, the tests can be a likely indicator of intoxication. This is hardly done on the street. The research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the designers of the tests, concluded the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus is 77% accurate, the Walk & Turn is 68% accurate, and the One Leg Stand is 65% accurate only when administered in the prescribed, standardized manner. Any change from the standardized manner will compromise the tests validity and make any result inaccurate. When not conducted properly it becomes an opinion test of the officer. Therefore, these tests will inaccurately claim 23%-35% of the people tested as intoxicated. Which when done incorrectly, which is the norm, can drop the accuracy to a frightening level. Often there is a video tape of your arrest or the field test which may contradict the officer’s opinion and lead to an acquittal. The police officer has to make a judgment call in the field. They also have a lower burden of proof in the field to make an arrest than that required of a jury to make a finding of guilt. The police officer only needs to make an arrest if they have probable cause to believe you are intoxicated. A jury can only find you guilty if they believe the State has proven your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There is a difference between the two burdens. The police officer may look for a few clues to obtain probable cause; s/he only looks for those few clues. There are often numerous signs showing that you were not intoxicated and when you correctly point them out to a jury will lead to an acquittal.

What can affect my performance on field sobriety tests?

There are several factors that affect the results of your tests, such as:

• Age
• Being ill
• The distraction of traffic
• The police cars strobe lights
• Fatigued
• Footwear
• Lack of coordination
• Gusts of wind
• Weight
• Road or sidewalk conditions
• Allergies
• Scared
• Head lights of traffic
• Weather conditions
• Being nervous
• Back problems
• Leg or knee problems
• Inner ear disorders

What are the typical Penalties?

Any person who is convicted of DWI may be sentenced with jail time, fines, community service, probation, and mandatory rehabilitation. DWI crimes may be classified as a misdemeanor (SP.) or a felony offense (SP.) Classification depends on if the person has prior DWI convictions, if there was a child in the car, if there was accident or if someone was injured or even killed as a result of the DWI The penalty range for DWI, therefore, can range from probation or 180 days in county jail for a Misdemeanor to life in prison for a Felony DWI. Additionally, the person may lose his/her right to drive in the State of Texas.

Am I Going to Jail?

In most cases the District Attorney’s office will not recommend jail time but will recommend probation. Probation is up to 24 months on Misdemeanor DWI offenses and will include community service, DWI educations courses, fine and court cost plus other conditions the judge feels is appropriate.

Felony DWI: Mandatory Jailtime

For Felony DWI offenses jail time is mandatory and usually the da could recommend years in prison. As long as you do not violate your probation, you typically do not spend time in jail.

However, second (Class A Misdemeanor) and third Felony DWI offences require some mandatory jail time as a condition of probation.

Do I have to have an interlock device on my vehicle?

The Texas DWI Law was modified and Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2246 into law on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. This bill will now require all suspected drunk drivers to have an ignition interlock device installed on their vehicle if they plan to continue driving during their license suspension period following their arrest. Ignition interlock devices work similar to a breathalyser, but will prevent a car from starting if the driver is intoxicated while trying to operate it.

Texas becomes the 25th state to require interlock systems. The new law takes effect in September 2015. If you have or are required to install an ignition interlock device on your vehicle, you must be aware of the potential false-positives and consequences that can occur during this period. WHY THE CHANGE: Texas had not changed it’s DWI laws in 10 years and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) claims that’s why Texas leads the nation in DWI deaths. MADD’s big push during the 2015 Legislative Session paved the way for changing the State of Texas DWI laws. To further assist Legislators in the 2015 session, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims that, “researchers found that after these devices were installed, re-arrest rates for alcohol-impaired driving decreased by a median of 67 percent relative to drivers with suspended licenses.”

Approximately 24 states have laws that require the use of ignition interlock devices for DWI or DUI offenders. However, each state has different laws stipulating when an ignition interlock device is to be used. As an example, some states require the use of ignition interlock devices for DWI/DUI offenders with a BAC of .08 or greater, while other states require devices only when a DWI/DUI offender has a BAC of .15 or greater. Further, some states do not even have a mandatory ignition interlock program, but employ a discretionary implementation of when an ignition interlock device is required for DWI/DUI offender.

What Is the Ignition Interlock Device?

An ignition interlock device is a small device that is installed into a vehicle upon the order of the court. It is a device that is wired into the ignition system of a vehicle and requires a driver to blow into the device before the car can be started. If the device detects a certain level of alcohol in his/her system, then the vehicle will not start. The blood alcohol concentration threshold is usually set between 0.02 to 0.04 grams per deciliter (g/dL). Under the Texas law, the minimum illegal blood alcohol concentration is .08.

Will my Drivers License be Suspended?

Once a driver has been arrested for DWI, s/he will be asked to submit to another blood, breath or urine alcohol test after s/he has been brought to the police station. If the persons blood alcohol level is 0.08% or greater, or if the person refuses to submit to the blood alcohol test, s/he will be served with a Notice of Suspension and provided with a temporary drivers permit. From the time of the drivers arrest, s/he only has 15 days to schedule an ALR hearing to contest the suspension of s/he drivers license. If the driver does not schedule s/he hearing, s/he drivers license will remain suspended for ninety days to two years. Call immediately if you have been arrested for a D.W.I., D.U.I., B.W.I., or other alcohol related offense to protect your drivers license.

How long will a DWI arrest stay on my record?

If you are convicted of the DWI, it could stay on your record for life. We may be able to help you seal it through a petition for non-disclosure. Call us to see if you qualify. If you are found Not Guilty, you can have the arrest and DWI charge expunged from your record.

Why do I need an Attorney for a DWI in Texas?

Q: What impact does a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrest/conviction have on my drivers license and driving privileges? A: Many people are unaware that hand-in-hand with an arrest for DWI in the State of Texas is the issue of dealing with the suspension of your drivers license. At the time of an arrest for DWI, a law enforcement officer will physically confiscate your drivers license. It will be replaced with a Notice of Suspension, along with a 40-day temporary driving permit. It is your responsibility to request an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing within 15 days of the date on the Notice of Suspension you receive.

If you do not request a hearing, the suspension automatically goes into effect on the 40th day after the Notice of Suspension was served, and depending on a number of factors including whether you are a minor, refused to provide a breath or blood specimen, prior police contacts, or if you did provide a specimen which registered over the legal intoxication limit your suspension can range from 60 days to 2 years. If you do request an ALR hearing, it will be conducted by a State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), which is a government hired employee. The Department of Public Safety has the burden of proof, (only by a preponderance of the evidence) and at the end of the hearing the ALJ determines whether your license is suspended or not.

If the ALJ does suspend your drivers license, you will likely need to pursue an occupational drivers license to obtain permission to drive to and from work. Therefore, it is best to stick to your limits or designate a driver when drinking alcohol to avoid a DWI arrest. As you can see, its not just a simple ticket. An arrest for DWI has a broad impact on your freedom, finances, and driving privileges. However, it is important to remember that just because someone is accused of the crime of DWI, it does not mean they are guilty. And the constitution and legal system affords every American the right to an attorney and the right to a legal DUI defense when presented with such charges. Learn more about charges related to DWI and Alcohol.

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