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Driving while intoxicated (DWI) and driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other drugs are serious crimes. The consequences of a conviction can affect the rest of your life.
Our experience and training could stand between you and thousands of dollars in fines or jail time. Let a Texas DWI lawyer review the evidence against you to help devise a solution that protects your rights.
In Texas, DUI is not the same as DWI. Both refer to driving with alcohol and/or drugs in your blood stream, but the difference between the DUI and DWI in Texas boils down to age. If the individual is under 21 and has any trace amount of alcohol in his or her system, that individual can be charged with a DUI. Anyone 21 or older will be charged with DWI.
A first-time conviction for DWI in Texas is considered a class B misdemeanor. If the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was .15% or more however, this would be bumped to a class A misdemeanor.
Penalties for a DWI class B misdemeanor include:
On top of that, offenders often face administrative fees, education programs, community service, probation, or some combination of the above. Penalties only increase if you are convicted a subsequent time within a 10-year period.
If you have been arrested for driving while intoxicated and you refuse to take or fail a breath or blood test, you may have your license suspended for a minimum of 90 days or up to two years. This amount of time depends on whether this is your first or subsequent offense.
If you've been arrested for DWI, then you will have to appear in court for your arraignment. During a DWI arraignment hearing, you will be called before the judge and read the charges against you, as well as the maximum penalties for your alleged offense(s). He or she will ask if you have a DWI attorney representing you or if you need time to find and retain one. Then he or she will ask if your please is "Guilty" or "Not guilty." Lastly, the judge will explain your options for bail.
Drunk driving charges can land you in jail and cost you thousands in fines and legal penalties. However, our firm has the experience and training to counter the State’s case, whether based on an Intoxilyzer sample, blood test, or standardized field sobriety test (SFST). The firm’s primary lawyer, Barrett Thomas, is not only educated on the procedures law enforcement must follow, but he has actually practiced those procedures himself while serving as an officer. If there is a policy or procedure that has been violated, or if your rights have been violated, he will know and you can rest assured he will use it to your advantage.
Contact Blanchard & Thomas, PLLC at (866) 219-6119. Our Texas criminal defense attorneys are ready to help.