Let’s start our review of Texas’ strong stance of drunk driving by taking a look at a couple of stories that were in the news recently. These stories involved defendants being sentenced just short of the death penalty for drunk driving (DWI) in Texas.
The Detroit Free Press recent news revealed that a 62 year man from Texas was given life in prison on being convicted for his drunken driving offense for the tenth time. The defendant was convicted in the 1980s for the first time, but he did not learn the proper lesson. He was convicted in nine previous cases and this was the tenth conviction leading to a lifetime prison sentence.
In another case, a man was convicted for DWI and sentenced to life for a drunk driving incident that occurred in 2014. In the police statement, it was revealed that the BAC of the defendant was nearly four times the legal limit. This is high and puts a driver in a state such that she or he is unable to breathe or stand properly, leaving alone driving a car safely to avoid causing death or serious personal injury.
DWI Charges & Convictions
Driving While Intoxicated doesn’t always result in life imprisonment. But a single DWI or DUI charge usually results in some jail time.
A first conviction for drunk driving in Texas results in a sentence to jail for six months and not more than 180 days. On the other hand, a second conviction for DWI will likely lead to a jail sentence of up to a year. The third offense is a serious felony charge that carries a sentence of two years minimum in prison.
A third offense DWI charge is a serious matter. All or most 3rd offense DWI cases are classified as felony offenses which could mean a multi-year prison sentence at a TDCJ operated correctional facility.
Remember one thing, under Texas law, the length of time since the last DWI conviction isn’t considered. Even if the previous charge was 3 or 4 decades ago, the court sees the offense as if it happened yesterday. Even though you might have gone 30 or 40 years without a DWI, the court may not be lenient. For this reason, you must take Houston criminal charges of DWI or DUI seriously and hired a qualified Houston DWI attorney like Tad Nelson as soon as possible. No Houston DWI attorney can assure a legal outcome to be favorable, but having a competent lawyer as your legal representation gives you the best chance at coming out of court with less than maximum retribution from the state of Texas.