When police officers pull someone over on suspicion of drunk driving, they may not give them a breath test right away. Instead, officers may ask a motorist to perform field sobriety tests, which are designed to expose impairment. If someone struggles with the tests,...
Year: 2023
3 factors that influence the penalties for Texas drug charges
Texas has relatively strict criminal statutes. The drug laws in Texas, for example, are quite harsh when compared with the rules in many other states. People can get arrested for possessing substances that are legal in other states or for mismanaging their...
Is a Texas DWI charge a felony offense?
Many motorists in Texas don't think of traffic infractions as serious crimes, but the state certainly does. Driving while intoxicated (DWI) charges in Texas are among the most serious traffic infractions, both because of how Texas law treats this offense and because...
Doctor shopping vs. seeking a second opinion: What to know
Patients with chronic pain are often told that they need to take charge of their health and their medical care. They’re encouraged to seek second opinions if their pain isn’t under control since medical approaches to any given health situation can vary greatly between...
Can digital communications lead to Texas assault charges?
The definition of assault that most people are familiar with involves intentionally causing bodily harm to another individual. People expect that they might face assault charges if they get into a fight and hurt someone else. However, some people end up arrested for...
Is drug court an option for those facing Texas drug charges?
With the exception of violent crimes, drug charges arguably carry the most stigma of most types of criminal accusations. People tend to judge those with prior drug charges harshly, and Texas is notorious for imposing harsh penalties on convicted offenders. Despite...
The ripple effect of a DWI conviction
You see a police officer’s lights come on behind you while driving home from a night out. You know that you’ve had a few drinks and you’re wondering if you’re over the legal limit. You start to worry about the potential ramifications of your situation. If you’re...
When does Texas require someone to install an IID?
Anyone who has been accused of a driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense in Texas could be at risk of incarceration, financial penalties and license suspension. Occasionally, the restrictions on someone's driving privileges won't only involve a temporary inability to...
What does a “reasonable belief “ of “imminent harm” mean?
A lot of times, those accused of assault will assert a positive defense, claiming that they had the right to use reasonable force to defend themselves (or others) from harm – and Texas does recognize this right. However, there are a few caveats to that right. One of...
Texas’ 3 strikes criminal sentencing law explained
In baseball, when a pitcher throws three strikes, the batter is out. In Texas criminal law, it's three strikes and you're in prison. We are talking about Texas' "three strikes" law, which is part of the state statute that discusses how to sentence people convicted of...