Texas readers who question whether local authorities are investing more time and money into drunk driving enforcement efforts need only read about the third annual awards ceremony hosted by the local Montgomery County District Attorney’s office.
The event, held in the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe, honored local officials and agencies in five categories. The Agency of the Year award went to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for its approach to driving while intoxicated arrests. The office has a new DWI Task where several young deputies are designated to focus on DWI enforcement. The office has also streamlined DWI prosecution among different agencies by implementing several new administrative procedures.
The event also named an officer of the year. This year’s recipient went to an officer that made 207 DWI arrests in 2012. That’s an impressive figure, considering that the average American worker spent a total of 228 days at work in 2012.
Since it hosted the awards ceremony, the local district attorney’s office may not have honored its own. Yet even the charges brought against Texas DWI offenders may be getting more severe.
For example, there may be some amount of discretion in the type of charges resulting in a DWI arrest.
Enhanced DWI charges may be brought against offenders with previous DWI convictions, drivers with a blood alcohol content of .15 or higher, or in instances where injury to another driver resulted in brain damage or injury to an official. A DWI charge may also be elevated to the charge of intoxicated assault if the injuries to another driver or passenger were severe.
If there is an amount of discretion involved, an experienced League City or Houston DWI lawyer may be able to negotiate with prosecutors to reduce the charges or explore the possibility of a plea. Attorney Tad Nelson can also present mitigating factors, perhaps by offering alternative means for achieving rehabilitation without relapse.
Source: yourhoustonnews.com, “DWI Awards have special meaning,” Howard Roden, March 27, 2013
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