The Supreme Court heard arguments in McNeely vs Missouri this week. The issue was whether the 4th Amendment’s requirement for a warrant actually applies to DWI blood draws. The defendant in Mcneely refused to give a breath specimen, so the police just held him down and took his blood, which…
Forney is one of the faster growing DFW exurbs. It has quickly become a hotbed of Kaufman County DWI arrests. I used to get a fair number of DWI cases from across Kaufman County, many DPS arrests on the interstate, and then a fair number from Terrell/Crandall/Kaufman etc. It seems…
A few months ago I took Lance Platt’s SFST certification course for attorneys. We had mostly defense lawyers and some prosecutors in the room. I didn’t come into this with clean hands. My experience with DWI cases and research of these “tests” tells me they are voodoo bullshit. I came…
I’m amazed on how banal DWI blood warrants have become. Maybe I shouldn’t be. Look how far we’ve come in just a few shorts years. The TSA molests plane passengers without cause, and it’s largely a non-issue. The police can demand that you give them your blood, and few seem…
Defense lawyers are not big fans of MADD, or any pro police state organization for that matter. However, one thing I will say is that their public policy liason, Bill Lewis, is an honest guy. DMN ran a round up of the various DWI bills this session. Most died sine…
Facing a DWI charge in Kaufman county? Have a serious drinking problem and/or a history of alcohol related offenses? DWI court may be in your future. What is the Kaufman County DWI court? This is from a handout I found in CC2. I think the DA’s office made this although…
Lawrence Boyd is a great guy, and a badass Dallas DWI lawyer. He literally wrote the book on Texas ALR hearings. The best DWI lawyers in Texas pay to hear Mr. Boyd speak at seminars. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Lawrence at a conference last summer (SPI),…
Kaufman County had a rare flying while intoxicated arrest this week. Allegedly, the pilot landed on FM 429 and was arrested shortly after. Best quote about this arrest from Kaufman Chief Public Defender Andrew Jordan. “This defendant may have trouble making bail… because he poses a flight risk.” Rim shot!…
Thanks to Houston Defense Lawyer Paul Kennedy for tracking down HB 189. I had some tepid enthusiasm after reading the Statesman article. The devil is in the details. What’s wrong with HB 189? Three quick points. 1. It’s deferred, but still counts a conviction? From 189 A deferred adjudication for…
Beat your spouse, sell some drugs, look at kiddie porn, steal a few Xbox’s from Wal Mart and you can get deferred probation in Texas. (Deferred probation does not result in a conviction if you finish probation). But, catch a case for DWI and deferred is not available. It has…