Age does play a large role in drunk driving cases. As a general rule, older individuals are less likely to drink and drive. This could indicate that, even though they still drink, it is less of a social event for them. They may simply drink at home and not have to drive, rather than going to a bar or a social gathering.

Young people, on the other hand, appear to be the most likely to drive while intoxicated. One report put Millennials, or the members of Generation Y, in the top spot when it came to the likelihood of intoxicated driving. They were noted by 35.8% of those in the study, which was the largest single percentage for any age group. Millennials are currently between 25 and 39 years old.

The next age group was just slightly younger, with members of Generation Z. They are from 16 to 24 years old, meaning that many of them are not even legally allowed to drink or may have just become legally allowed to drive. Even so, they were identified by 31% of those in the study.

The next two age groups were Generation X (19%), which includes those from 40 years old to 54 years old, and baby boomers (14.1%) which includes those from 55 years old to 75 years old.

Clearly, DWI charges can come at any age, but the stats simply show who is most likely to get one. Since young people may worry that a DWI will impact their careers, educational opportunities and much more, it is crucial for them to know what legal defense options they have.

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If you are called to testify before a grand jury, there are a few things that you need to know. The first is that you should never go before the jury and prosecution without talking to your attorney first. Second, you should know that you’ll be questioned without your attorney present, which is a requirement of Grand Jury Proceedings. That means that you won’t have someone there to tell you not to answer a question or to encourage you to speak up.

If that sounds unfair, you’re not the only one who thinks so. That’s why it may be a better idea to look into submitting a Grand Jury Packet. A Grand Jury Packet has information about your case, so that the jury still gets to know the case but you aren’t at risk of saying or doing something that leads to an indictment.

Some of the items that might be included in the packet are:

• Documents
• Personal recommendations
• Polygraph evidence
• Statements from the accused
• Sworn statements
• Witness statements

It’s beneficial to submit this packet to the court instead of testifying in person because there can be no cross-examination of the statements you make. Instead, the jury gets what they need in the informational packet, and you protect your rights without facing cross-examination.

The goal of any defense team during the grand jury investigation is to have the jury decide to reduce the charges or get a no bill. Our website has more on what you should know about getting the charges against you reduced or dropped; the right support can make a difference as you decide on how to defend yourself.

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You were with a friend at a bar when your night took an unexpected turn. A random woman approached you and slapped you for no discernible reason. You were surprised and angry, but you didn’t attack her or hit her back.

When she started to swing at you a second time, you grabbed her wrist to stop her. When she continued to try to attack, you struggled to hold her back away from you before the bar’s security guard separated you. You believe that everything you did was in self-defense. But she got bruised in the process and filed charges against you.

You felt like you were totally in the right for defending yourself, but she claimed that you had tripped her and slammed into her earlier on the dance floor. She argued that slapping you was a far cry from what you did to her You had had a few drinks and are positive that if contact had indeed occurred, it was completely inadvertent.

It’s an unfortunate truth that men are sometimes unfairly accused of assault when they are only defending themselves against someone else —  especially when that other person is a woman. There is no room for sexism in the legal system, though, which is why it’s necessary for you to defend yourself if you are charged. In this case, you have the security footage, your friends’ testimonies and other supporting evidence to show that you didn’t ever interact with that woman. Despite that, you may still be charged, so it’s going to be up to you and your attorney to present proof that will lead to the charges being dismissed. Failing that, you will need to devise a viable defense strategy for the courtroom.

It is a mistake to go without a defense in situations like this. Assault convictions can be punished with anything from a $500 fine to a stint in prison. This is the right time to take steps to strongly defend your rights.

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As a person consumes alcohol, it builds up in their system until the body metabolizes it. The amount of alcohol that’s in the body has a direct impact on a person’s ability to drive. While some individuals think that they can drive safely after drinking, even smaller amounts of alcohol can have a negative effect on their decision making, cognitive and manual abilities. 

There are many factors that affect how the body breaks down alcohol. One of these is gender. Typically, women will have a higher blood alcohol concentration than men because of their body composition and a lower number of alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes in their bodies relative to males. A person who has a high muscle mass is less likely to be impaired by a specific amount of alcohol than a person who has less muscle mass. A thin person will usually have a higher BAC than a heavier person. 

One thing that a person can do to try to negate some of the impacts of alcohol on their abilities is to eat before they have any adult beverages. Food in the stomach reduces the rate of absorption of any alcohol you consume. It’s important to eat before you consume the alcohol, however, because food eaten afterward won’t help. 

Other factors, such as health conditions and stress can also affect how your body handles the alcohol. Interestingly, the functional tolerance that you have with alcohol doesn’t play a role in your BAC, and this can lead to you thinking that you’re able to drive safely when you’re actually legally intoxicated. 

If you’re pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving, you need to get started on your defense strategy immediately. The consequences are severe, so don’t try to use a plan that’s hastily put together. 

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There is a lot of misinformation floating around online and in popular media about what happens when someone gets arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI). Each state has its own approach and its own unique penalties, although driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs remains illegal regardless of which state someone is in at the time of their arrest.

All those different laws and penalties contribute to the confusion people feel when they wind up facing charges. In Texas, the penalties you face after an arrest for a DWI will vary based on the circumstances at the time of the arrest and your previous criminal and driving history.

If this is your first DWI offense, you will face lesser penalties than those with previous convictions. Knowing those penalties can help you make more informed decisions about your defense strategy.

What factors change the penalties you face?

If you get stopped for an alleged DWI with a passenger in your vehicle under the age of 15, you will face increased penalties, which include a fine of up to $10,000 and up to two years in jail. Anyone who causes a crash that results in injury or property damage will face aggravated DWI charges, as will those who turn out to have a very high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.15% or more.

Those who get caught with open bottles of alcohol in their vehicle or alcohol in cups or bottles can face an additional fine for having an open intoxicant.

Potential penalties include fines, jail time and the loss of your license

If police establish that your BAC is 0.08% or higher or if you fail a field sobriety test, you could find yourself arrested for a DWI and facing criminal charges. If you plead guilty or get convicted to a first-time DWI, you could face a fine of up to $2,000 and anywhere between three and 180 days in jail.

Additionally, you will lose your license for three years and have to pay an annual fee to retain your license after that. The fee could be either $1,000 or $2,000. You will also have to deal with the impact of your conviction and loss of license on your professional and personal life, to say nothing of how the criminal record could impact your career and educational prospects.

Even those facing first-time DWI offenses may find that defending against the charges is their best option in order to avoid the negative impacts of a DWI on their life.

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Police officers have a duty to keep the roads as safe as they can. One task that they have is to try to spot signs of impairment in drivers, so they can get those individuals off the roads. Drunk driving in Texas puts everyone on the roads with the impaired driver in danger, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that officers take this duty very seriously.

There are two standards that apply to a drunk driving traffic stop. To initiate the stop, the officer must have reasonable suspicion that a crime is occurring. To arrest a person for drunk driving, they must have probable cause. While there are many similarities between those two standards, reasonable suspicion is a much lower one because there doesn’t have to be any hard evidence.

Many drunk driving cases come down to what prompted the officer to pull the vehicle over. There are many signs of impairment that they are trained to spot. These include:

• Swerving in and out of lanes
• Straddling the centerline
• Braking without cause
• Failing to use headlights after dark
• Driving very slowly or well above the speed limit
• Narrowly missing hitting roadside objects

If you show signs of impairment, such as failing to pass a standardized field sobriety test or having a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the officer will have probable cause to arrest you. They can also conduct an arrest if you admit that you’ve had alcohol.

Anyone facing a drunk driving charge should evaluate their options for a defense strategy. Choosing the option that you feel is in your best interests may help you feel better about the future of your case.

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The best way to prevent a DWI arrest is to avoid alcohol if you know you have to drive. When you do this, there’s no chance of this trouble entering your life.

However, that’s easier said than done, as everyone makes mistakes in their life.

If you’re pulled over for suspicion of DWI, the first thing you should do is calm down. Your mind is racing and your heart is beating fast, but take a few deep breaths to prepare yourself for what’s to come. Nothing bad has happened yet.

Here’s what you should do:

• Stay in your seat: Don’t open your door or begin to shuffle around inside your vehicle. Stay in your seat and wait for the officer to arrive at your door. At that point, they’ll greet you and ask you for your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance.
• Don’t start to talk: If the officer is quiet, you may attempt to break the silence by asking questions or stating your innocence. As tempting as it may be, don’t crack. Let the officer make the first move. If you begin to talk, you could slip up by saying something that makes you look guilty.
• Don’t answer questions you don’t understand: If the officer asks you a question you don’t understand, you can politely decline to answer. Remember, the law states that you have the right to remain silent.
• Cooperate if you’re put under arrest: If the officer puts you under arrest, such as after failing a Breathalyzer test, remain quiet and don’t fight back. This could make things worse on you, such as additional criminal charges.

Once you’re booked and released, the next thing you should do is review your criminal charges and what’s to come. This is also a good time to consider your past.

For example, if this is your first DWI arrest, it’s much less serious than if it’s your third or fourth.

Once you understand what you’re up against and how the process will unfold, you can turn your attention to your legal rights and the defense strategy you can use to protect them.

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You’re in legal trouble, and you know it. Landing in jail on criminal charges was a shock to your system — and your future and your freedom are both on the line. The anxiety you’re feeling is enough, all on its own, to make you feel kind of grateful when the prosecutor offers you a deal.

Should you accept? Maybe. Maybe not. You certainly don’t want to make a decision in a rush without some experienced legal counsel along the way. Here’s why:

1. A plea deal may not benefit you. Prosecutors overwhelmingly favor plea deals these days because it’s a “win-win” for them — and the courts. Plea deals aren’t always so great for defendants, however. It’s an open secret that many innocent defendants take a plea deal simply because they want out of jail or are afraid of what will happen if they lose their fight in court.
2. A plea deal is the same as a conviction, legally. Once you accept a plea deal, you’re admitting to the crime — and that’s going to follow you around forever. How often do you think that a prospective landlord or employer is going to ask about the circumstances of your arrest and conviction before making negative judgments about you?
3. You may not be getting the prosecutor’s best offer. Even if a plea deal is inevitably the best thing for your situation, you’re in no position to know just “how low” a prosecutor can — and will — go. It generally takes some experience with the law, the details of the evidence against you, knowledge of the court system and the particular prosecutor involved to know where there’s more room for negotiation.

If you’re facing some serious criminal charges, let an experienced advocate help assess any plea deal you’ve been offered — and your chances of success in court.

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A typical DWI arrest often goes like this: The officer sees a reason to stop your car and pulls you over because they have reason to suspect that you are intoxicated, e.g., swerving or driving too slowly. They ask you to perform some field sobriety tests. If you fail them, they take you back to the station and give you a breath test. While you can get a DWI with a low blood alcohol concentration (BAC), they’re generally looking to see if you are over .07%. If you are, that’s when you find yourself facing charges for impaired driving.

In court, the judge may act like the results of the breath test seal your fate. The legal limit is .08%. If your test showed .09%, they assume you were impaired. Is that the end of it?

Not always. One thing to question is the accuracy of the breath test. Medical experts warn that blood and urine tests are more accurate. That alone raises some questions about the reliability of breath tests and how much weight they should carry, especially in cases where a person’s BAC is fairly close to the legal limit.

There are also other important questions to ask. How old was the device? When was it last calibrated? Was it an approved model? Did the officer conduct the test correctly? Was that officer trained on how to use the test before giving it to you? Were there any other factors, like alcohol in your mouth from a strong mouthwash, that could have raised your reading?

Don’t assume that the breath test is the end of the line. Make sure you are well aware of the defense options that you have moving forward.

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What’s so bad about a drug that increases muscle mass and helps athletes and bodybuilders hit their peak?

Everything, if you’re talking about anabolic steroids that have been obtained without a legitimate prescription. The Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 made obtaining, owning and using anabolic steroids without a prescription akin to having LSD or heroin — and it is punished accordingly. The law also takes aim at synthetic steroids so that manufacturers can’t simply skirt the law with a new drug formula whenever they want. The Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 placed even more restrictions on anabolic steroids and enhanced the federal penalties for making, selling and possessing them. Many states have followed suit by enacting their own measures against the drugs.

That doesn’t always stop their use, however. Many people obtain anabolic steroids through sources overseas, where the drugs can be obtained legally without a prescription. Others get them through clandestine arrangements with shady physicians who are willing to write prescriptions for steroids even when there’s no legitimate medical need for them. There are even illegal labs that are dedicated to producing the “juice” that many body-conscious people want.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) estimates that around 1 million people in this country are illegally using anabolic steroids at any given time — and the authorities in Texas have been cracking down on dealers and users alike.

If you’re caught with anabolic steroids, even those intended for your personal use, you could be facing harsh penalties at either the federal or state level. An experienced drug defense attorney can help you assess your options, protect your rights and negotiate for the best possible outcome of your case. Find out more today.

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