Houston Lawyer, Jack Carroll, discusses facts about DWI

 by: Jack Carroll

You thought it could never happen to you, but suddenly you find yourself in a situation that you did not expect. What do you do? Contact Texas drunk driving defense lawyers Jack Carroll or Don Becker to protect your rights! The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles can suspend your license if you refuse to take a breath test, blood test, or urine test. WARNING! You have a limited amount of time (15 days) in which to appeal this administrative license suspension.

When you have been investigate or arrested for any criminal offense such as Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), or any Felony Charge, you have an absolute right to be concerned. Facing criminal charges may be one of the most frightening things you have encountered. Some of the possible consequences that can result from a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) conviction include the restriction or loss of a driver’s license, an increase in insurance cost, fines, court costs, and even the possibility of jail. As you can see, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) can be a very serious charge.

The Texas law says that the District Attorney need only to prove that after drinking you were not able to drive your car in a “normal” capacity. That sounds pretty cut and dry, but it is not quite as simple as that.

You see, if challenged, the District Attorney must also show all of the following:

That the arresting officer made the arrest properly,

That you were properly advised of your rights,

That the equipment the officer used to test you was working, accurately,

Etc.

Also, the office that administered the “standard field sobriety tests” should have successfully completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Standardized Field Sobriety Testing studenfst class before administering these tests. We have handled hundreds of (DWI) cases and know every trick and nuance officers use to cause you to fail. Before and at trial we will grade the officers to ensure that he or she conducted the tests properly. If the tests were not conducted properly, this can be disclosed to the District Attorney or the jury to show that the tests results were unreliable and should not be believed.

When you retain Jack or Don, not some underling, we will insist that the District Attorney provide us with the names and address of anyone he plans to call as a witness as well as copies of every written or recorded statements of their testimony. This will allow us to prepare our questions we ask them.

We will insist on receiving copies of any videos that show your sobriety tests, whether in the field or at the station.

We will insist on receiving copies of records showing that the equipment used for test was functioning properly and that the person giving the test was properly certified/

As you can see, what looks simple gets pretty complex. As your criminal defense attorney we will insist that all this information be provided and we will walk through all this information as we discuss and proceed on your case.

DRIVER LICENSE SUSPENSION – Your arrest may have included a cancellation of your Texas driving privileges for a specific period of time. YOU HAVE ONLY 15 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF YOUR ARREST TO REQUEST A HEARING ON THIS MATTER. We believe that this hearing is extremely important, not only to challenge your suspension but also as an opportunity for your attorney to question the arresting officer to find out exactly what he is going to say in court. If you retain our firm to represent you, part of that representation includes representing you at the driver license suspension. However, remember you must request this hearing no later than 15 days from your arrest so it is important that you contact us as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. If your Texas driving privileges are ultimately suspended, in most cases we can get you an Occupational License that will allow you to drive to and from work.

WARNING TEXAS DRIVER LICENSE SURCHARGE! Beginning with any Texas DWI Conviction for an offense committed on or after 09/01/03, the Texas Department If Public Safety is authorized to charge a surcharge on your Driver’s License. This charge will range from $1,000.00 to $2000.000 a year for three years. Depending on whether you provided a breath sample, and the results were positive for intoxication, you could be facing a $6,000.00 fee to keep your license.

The government with all of its resources can frequently make your life miserable; regardless of whether you have actually committed the crime. Real life criminal law is NOT like television. Cases are not resolved in one hour, and the solutions are normally not simple. Hiring a criminal defense attorney can be the most important decision you make.