Driving while intoxicated, DWI, is the primary charge for drunk driving in Texas. If you got a citation or face charges of DWI or a related offense in Sugar Land, TX, you may be facing serious penalties. You do not have to fight this on your own.
At Eddington Worley Attorneys, our team can help you pursue a more favorable outcome in your case by using the facts of your case and the circumstances of your arrest to build a strong defense strategy. We know how much a DWI could end up costing you in Texas. Let us review your case and go to work for you today. Call us at 855-600-6695 to learn more.
Understanding Why They Took Your License: The Administrative License Revocation
The most immediate thing you will need to worry about following a citation and/or arrest for DWI or another drunk driving offense is the Administrative License Revocation (ALR). When the arresting officer stopped you or responded to your accident, they took your driver’s license and gave you paperwork that permits you to drive for the next 40 days. At the end of that 40 days, you will be subject to an automatic administrative license revocation.
How long your license is suspended after a DWI conviction depends on the circumstances of your case, including your criminal record and past history of DWIs, but you will still have to face a suspension even if you are not convicted.
Because the ALR is administrative, it has nothing to do with the criminal case against you. The Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) can and will revoke your license even if you never face charges or win in court. Getting the citation is all that matters.
Beating the ALR
There is only one way to avoid an ALR: appeal. You need to request a hearing to challenge the ALR within 15 days of your citation. When you request this hearing, your permit will extend until after the hearing date.
We can help you with this request and represent you. During the hearing, the police officer will present the evidence against you to prove their case. This gives us an important first look at the case the prosecutor has against you. For this reason, we recommend challenging the ALR even when we do not have strong evidence to win this appeal.
Even if we do not win the ALR hearing, we may be able to get an occupational license issued to you. This gives you the right to drive to specific places, such as your school or workplace, even while your regular driver’s license is suspended.
The ALR Is Only the Beginning of the Consequences You Could Face
Texas is known for its strict stance on drug and alcohol crimes, including DWI. If you are convicted of DWI, you could face jail time, attendance at a mandatory Alcohol Education Program, an additional driver license suspension of up to two years, fines, and more. We understand how these penalties could impact your everyday life, including your job, school, and relationships.
In some cases, our best option is to work out a deal with the court to ensure you get the most lenient sentence possible. If this is your first offense, we may be able to get your jail time probated, meaning you will receive community supervision instead of spending 72 hours to six months in jail.
Community supervision, previously called probation, requires you to follow the rules set by the judge to avoid jail. Some common community supervision rules include:
- Checking in with a probation officer
- Completing community service hours
- Staying out of additional legal trouble
- Not using drugs or alcohol
- Working or going to school
We Can Take on a Wide Variety of DWI and Drunk Driving Cases
With decades of combined experience fighting Texas DWI and drunk driving charges, our team can handle even the most complex cases. We can help with DWI cases that involve:
- Arrests during a traffic stop or after accidents
- Refusal to submit to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing cases
- Failed BAC tests
- Drivers under age 21 with detectable alcohol in their system, with 0.08 percent BAC or above, or who refused to submit
- DWI with an open container
- DWI accidents with serious injuries or fatalities
- Repeat offenders
Even if your situation is not listed above, a Sugar Land DWI lawyer may be able to help you pursue a more favorable outcome to your case.
Let the Team at Eddington Worley Attorneys Build a Solid Defense Strategy on Your Behalf
Our team knows how local prosecutors approach DWI cases, allowing us to build a defense strategy that challenges their case. Depending on the facts of your case and the circumstances of your arrest, we will fight for:
- Dropping or reducing your charges
- A plea deal that includes a lesser charge and fewer penalties
- An acquittal in court
- A probated sentence
How we can accomplish any of these goals depends on the individual facts of your case. For example, if we discover the police did not have a legal reason to stop you before they made their arrest, it may be possible to get the charges against you reduced or dropped. In other cases, we can challenge the validity of BAC testing because of problems with the equipment or protocol.
We cannot know the best strategy for a more favorable outcome in your case until we discuss it with you and investigate what happened. Call us today at 855-600-6695 to get started.
Talk to a Sugar Land, Texas, DWI Attorney
The DWI defense team from Eddington Worley Attorneys is here to help if you face citation, arrest, and possible conviction in a Sugar Land drunk driving case. We will protect your rights and fight for a more favorable outcome on your behalf.
Call us today at 855-600-6695. A member of our team can help you understand our services, discuss your case, and answer any questions you may have. We can get to work on your case today.
