Police in Texas are aggressively cracking down on DWI (driving while intoxicated) cases, as are judges and prosecutors. If you or a loved one has been arrested for DWI, you need a lawyer who’s even more aggressive – for you and your legal rights.
Veteran Houston criminal defense lawyer Neal Davis understands what it takes to fight back when facing the serious charge of DWI.
How serious? A felony DWI conviction can mean a prison sentence. And even if probation is granted for a lesser DWI conviction, the rules of DWI probation may prevent you from driving your car for the length of probation.
Extreme Punishments for DWI Charges in Texas
Even “diversionary programs,” set up so first-time offenders take a program to avoid facing severe penalties, are now being limited as part of the government’s extremes in tackling DWI cases.
That’s right. Being able to take a productive 12-hour course on Texas’ DWI laws and how alcohol affects drivers is now less of an option.
Shouldn’t it be the reverse?
Instead, first-time DWI offenders now can face penalties including fines of up to $2,000, jail time of up to 180 days, loss of a driver’s license for up to two years, installation of an ignition interlock device when driving is allowed and an annual surcharge of as much as $2,000 for three years to retain a driver’s license.
Act Quickly to Retain Right to Drive
The Harris County District Attorney’s office has also vowed to aggressively prosecute DWI cases. Warning received. If you face such aggressive prosecution, you need an aggressive defense attorney to fight for your rights after a DWI arrest and charge.
That means taking quick and decisive action. Don’t wait until “the dust clears” to engage your DWI defense lawyer for Houston, Harris County, Montgomery County or Fort Bend County.
After all, immediately upon your DWI arrest, the clock begins ticking on what defensive actions you must take to avoid jail time and to protect your ability to drive.
For one thing, you have just 15 days from the date of your DWI arrest to seek an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing with the Texas DPS (Department of Public Safety). If you fail to request an ALR hearing within 15 days, your driver’s license will be automatically suspended.
But requesting a license hearing is only the start. You need an experienced DWI lawyer to represent you at such a hearing and protect your right to drive while your DWI case is pending. At an ALR hearing with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, your DWI lawyer can challenge the pending administrative suspension of your driver’s license.
DWI Defense Lawyer Strategies
At any point in your defense, your Texas DWI defense lawyer can also explore whether the arresting officer did his or her job correctly. That can be challenged in light of the fact that many DWI arrests are made at an officer’s discretion, or based on an officer’s opinion that a person was drunk while driving.
Keep in mind that, these days, using a cell phone while driving can give the appearance of being drunk. But though driving with cell phones can look like driving drunk, the punishment for using a cell phone while driving should not be the same as for driving drunk.
These and other factors can be addressed by a knowledgeable DWI defense attorney – an attorney such as Neal Davis.
With Neal Davis’ help, many defendants’ DWI cases have been dismissed before trial, or have been won by the defendant at trial.
Contact the Neal Davis Law Firm today for a free legal review of your DWI case. Then, you can decide how you want to proceed.
But don’t forget – the clock is ticking.