Houston DWI Attorney
While DWI and driving with a suspended license are two of the most common cases that we handle, we defend individuals for other criminal charges as well. Please call us immediately for a free, confidential consultation.
More about DWI’s:
The main DWI criminal case is either a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the number of your prior convictions for DWI, and whether or not you were carrying a passenger under the age of 15. There is also usually a driver’s license suspension issue. Has it been 15 days since your arrest? There may be an important deadline concerning the suspension of your license. A plea of guilty (whether probated or not), or a guilty verdict, will result in additional annual hefty surcharges imposed by DPS in order to keep your driving privileges. The minimum surcharge for a first time DWI is $3,000, payable $1,000 per year.
Intoxication means not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties due to alcohol, drugs or other substances, whether legal or illegal, prescribed or not. Intoxication can be proven by an alcohol concentration of .08 grams or more of alcohol per 210 liters of breath, per 100 milliliters of blood, or per 67 milliliters of urine.
Your first DWI case is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable from 72 hours (6 days if there was an open container of alcohol in your vehicle) to 180 days in jail, and a fine of up to a $2,000. If the DWI occurs when the vehicle is occupied by a passenger under the age of 15, it is a state jail felony, punishable from 180 days to 2 years, and a fine of up to a $10,000.
A second DWI is a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable from 30 days to 1 year in jail, and a fine of up to a $4,000. If the DWI occurs when the vehicle is occupied by a passenger under the age of 15, it is a state jail felony, punishable from 180 days to 2 years, and a fine of up to a $10,000.
A third or more DWI is a 3rd degree felony, punishable from 2 to 10 years, and a fine of up to a $10,000.
Please contact us at 713.464.6461, or email us at firm@theticketattorney.com or contact us through our website
There can be two kinds of additional cases associated with a DWI. One is a driver’s license suspension hearing between you and the Texas Department of Public Safety to suspend your license because you failed to provide a breath test sample, or because your breath test sample resulted in an alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. The other is a proceeding before a judge to obtain a restricted license after your license is suspended. This is commonly called an occupational license, and it is granted with conditions when you can show that you have an essential need to drive, such as to and from work, the store, court-ordered activities or school.
If you have been charged with DWI, please call us immediately so that you do not inadvertently miss any deadlines concerning your driving privileges. We will be happy to answer any questions you have without charge for the first consultation. If we can’t personally take your case for some reason, we have relationships with many competent and reasonably priced DWI attorneys throughout the state to whom we can refer you.