Enhancements That Complicate and Compound DWI Charges in Texas
While being arrested and charged with DWI In Texas is bad enough, carrying with it the potential for severe penalties, including fines of up to $2,000, jail time of up to 180 days, and a license suspension if convicted for the first time alone, being charged with additional crimes at the same time certainly exacerbates your likelihood of a lighter sentence. These additional crimes, often referred to as “enhancements” when charged, will compound and complicate your DWI charges, leading to steeper penalties and punishments. Here is a profile of some common DWI enhancements.
10 Common Enhancements That Might Accompany a DWI
There are myriad charges that can accompany a DWI if you are not careful. Here are some particularly common simultaneous enhancements that could compound your sentencing and make your case much more difficult to defend.
Such enhancements include:
- Receiving a DWI while already having been convicted of a prior related offense
- Driving drunk with an open container
- Driving drunk with a child passenger
- Driving drunk as a minor
- DWI-related accidents resulting in death (intoxication manslaughter) or severe injuries
- DWI-related accidents resulting in injuries to a public servant (firefighter, police officer, construction worker, etc.)
- Possession of illegal drugs
- Destruction of property
- Speeding
- Refusing to take a sobriety test
Any one of these enhancements can complicate your DWI charges. Perhaps even more challenging is the fact that more than one enhancement could be added to your charges as discovered by the arresting officer(s). For instance, you might have been in possession of drugs when you drove home drunk and destroyed your neighbor’s fence as you approached your driveway. That would be a DWI charge with two enhancements in itself. Of course, this is only a hypothetical, but in general, these enhancements can add up and make your case difficult to win—and tougher still to mitigate the charges if amidst a plea bargain or conviction.
Contact a San Antonio DWI Enhancement Attorney
If you are facing a particularly complicated DWI case that includes enhanced charges, or if you are simply dealing with a single DWI charge on its own, consider contacting a skilled San Antonio DWI lawyer at 210-226-0965 for a The experienced professionals at the Law Offices of Sam H. Lock will know how to lessen the harm done by your DWI enhancements in order to help you through such a challenging case.
Sources:
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.49.htm
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/traffic/safety/sober-safe/intoxication.html
https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/penal-code/penal-sect-49-09.html
