Arrested for DWI over Fourth of July Weekend? Read this ASAP!

July 14, 2022 | by M. Neufeld Law

DWI Arrest COnroe
The fireworks faded, heartburn from that freedom dog set in, and the feel of the cool aluminum Truly can in your hand was swapped for the cold steel of handcuffs around your wrists. This sounds like an arrest for DWI over Fourth of July Weekend. The next thing you know you’re walking out of the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe with a vacuum sealed plastic packet with paperwork that makes no sense. What does that paperwork mean? What do you do next?

Sorting through that packet of paperwork can feel overwhelming. Each flip of the page floods you with the emotions of being cuffed, placed in the back of the police car, and booked into jail. You might want to toss it to the side and forget this DWI arrest ever happened. Doing that though could result in an automatically suspended driver license. In Texas when you’ve been arrested for an alcohol related driving offense, you only have 15 days to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing. The DIC-25 Form in that packet serves as your only notice and admonishment of this process.

During the arrest process when requesting a specimen of your breath and blood, the officer should have read you the DIC 24. This form vaguely lays out the consequences of refusing and/or consenting to providing a sample. The ALR Hearing acts as the venue to determine if your license shall be suspended for refusing or failing to provide a breath or blood sample.

Conroe DWI Trial & the Importance of the SFSTs

August 12, 2021 | by M. Neufeld Law

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In a recent DWI trial here in Conroe, Texas where the jury made the right decision and found my client not guilty, I was reminded of a previous blog. In Three Questions to Ask your DWI Lawyer I explored the concept of asking, “What is your experience with the NHTSA manual?” instead of “What’d my video show?” The acquittal in this recent DWI trial would not have been possible without an intimate knowledge of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) manual. With this in mind it’s worth revisiting and diving further into the importance of the NHTSA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) manual and the SFSTs.

The NHTSA DWI manual is the bible for law enforcement in alcohol related driving offenses. It delineates the proper policies and procedures in administering the SFSTs. Defense Counsel must be familiar with those investigative techniques to ensure that law enforcement administers them correctly. If one cannot identify if they’re administered correctly, then they can’t identify if they’re administered incorrectly and attack them in trial. In short, if you know what law enforcement is supposed to be doing better than they do you’re better suited to find issues that can benefit the accused. Some potential issues include an individual who is not an ideal candidate for the tests being encouraged to perform, invalid clues being counted as signs of intoxication, failing to eliminate other causes of poor performance or bizarre behaviors.

Keep in mind, these tests are not designed to help or exonerate you. No irrefutable objective science supports the “evidence” gathered by these assessments and through its criteria to prove intoxication. “Validation studies” conducted approximately 30 years ago contribute to the substantiation of this investigative tool. However, the tests themselves and the performances are largely interpreted through subjective belief; the subjective belief of the officer. The officer observes the clues and tallies the score to determine if the person is intoxicated. For the divided attention tests, the Walk and Turn and the One Leg Stand, an officer only needs to observe two clues before they believe you are intoxicated. But several problems with these so-called clues can arise simply from the way the officer instructs the test. A clue of intoxication according to these tests is “starts too soon.” Many law enforcement agents fail to advise individuals suspected of DWI that this counts against them. Instead of saying, “Stay on this line until I tell you to start. If you start before I tell you, that is a clue that you’re intoxicated.” Most accused of a crime are nervous, eager to please, and more eager to conclude the investigation. So once given instructions, they want to get started to get it over it with more quickly. Starting too soon should not be a sign of intoxication, but by the criteria of this test it is.

Arrest Does Not Equal Guilt

July 24, 2020 | by M. Neufeld Law

Arrest Does Not Equal Guilt

July 22^nd a Montgomery County Judge signed the dismissals on all charges against former University of Houston player and Buffalo Bills’s current defensive tackle Ed Oliver. On or about May 16, 2020, Oliver was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and Unlawful Carry of Weapon. Oliver complied with officers’ requests to complete the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) as seen below.

Three Questions to Ask your DWI Lawyer

May 22, 2020 | by M. Neufeld Law

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Three Questions to Ask your DWI Lawyer

So, you’ve been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in Montgomery County. The encounter with law enforcement, the ride to the jail, the booking process – each step more embarrassing and frustrating than the first. Now, it’s time to fight the case. You need to find a lawyer, but you’ve never been in trouble before – let alone for DWI. This process should not be complicated or frustrating, but how do you know you’re in the right hands? What do you ask your DWI lawyer before hiring them? This article is meant to provide some suggestions. If you already have a lawyer though, this article is still for you. These are some questions you can ask other than, “What’s going on with my case?”

Instead of: “What’d my video show?” Ask: “What is your experience with the NHTSA manual?”

Be Careful, Avoid DWI as Montgomery County Reopens

May 1, 2020 | by M. Neufeld Law

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After a couple of months of being shut down, the world prepares to reopen. Texas Governor Abbott announced on April 27^th his phases to begin opening the state back up. Today, under Phase 1, many businesses take down the shutters and open their doors at 25% occupancy to restless communities and anxious employees. Montgomery County though, under County Judge Mark Keough’s interpretation of the order, resumes business as usual with more expansive reopenings; this includes bars. If you’re someone who has been counting down the days and have your first day of socializing outfit picked out, be careful.

Since the Natural Disaster Declaration and Stay-At-Home Order, arrest numbers have been down throughout Texas. While the courts have been working diligently to reduce the amount of bail bonds and issue Personal Recognizance Bonds to lower jail populations in an effort to flatten the spread of the virus, law enforcement has seen a drop in incidents of Driving While Intoxicated. Montgomery County specifically, typically strives to be strident in their attacks on DWI. Montgomery County became one of the first Texas counties to participate in the No Refusal Initiative in 2005 that allows mandatory blood draws.

No Refusal Weekends traditionally have been holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, and the time starting from Thanksgiving through Christmas and ending after New Years Eve. For example from December 21, 2018 through January 1, 2019, Montgomery County law enforcement arrested approximately 146 individuals under the suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). The time between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend has been dubbed the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer.” In 2019, 766 people were arrested for alcohol related offenses during these days.

Probation Isn’t Cancelled

April 3, 2020 | by M. Neufeld Law

Montgomery County Probation Isn’t Cancelled Amongst COVID-19

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Court dates in Montgomery County have largely been rescheduled or cancelled due to the Coronavirus. Judges are adapting by using video conferencing applications such as Zoom to address issues related to bond and to take pleas, but downtown Conroe, despite its sizable essential employee status, is a ghost town. This comes as no surprise as Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough extends his stay-at-home order and families cancel birthdays, showers, family reunions, and vacations and replace their party hats with their teacher hats as schools cancel as well. What hasn’t been cancelled though, is Montgomery County probation. Drug testing through Averhealth too has not been cancelled.

Why does that matter? Approximately 60% of criminal cases result in some sort of community supervision. In 2018, the Prison Policy Initiative counted 4.5 million adults per year in the United States on community supervision. About half of the population in county jails are individuals who have violated the conditions of their release. That’s approximately 350,000 people each year who are jailed for revocations. You’re likely to see a spike in that number as people become more desperate from layoffs, isolation, and pressure from dealing with the consequences of COVID-19 rises. Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has already reported a 35% spike in assault calls.

New Year’s Eve Brings Numerous Montgomery County DWIs and Car Accidents

January 2, 2019 | by M. Neufeld Law

Montgomery County DWI and Personal Injury Lawyer

Law enforcement was out in full force the last two days due to the holidays. Numerous DWI and car and truck accidents happened in Conroe and the Woodlands. Excessive drinking this time of year is common. Unfortunately, so are driving while intoxicated cases and wrecks where people are injured. Here in Montgomery County we have a no refusal policy that has been in effect since Thanksgiving. If you are pulled over for suspected drinking and driving, you will be tested even if you refuse. Upon a refusal to give a blood or breath sample, your case will trigger the officer to apply for a warrant from an on-call judge to order you to give a sample. Although many lawyers tell you “don’t blow,” I think this advice is often foolish. If you have no criminal history and are below a .25 then you may qualify for a pretrial diversion program that will allow you to get your case dismissed with year of probation. If you decide to refuse the test, then you will not qualify for a pretrial diversion.
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In Your DWI Trial, Be Careful What You Agree To

September 30, 2018 | by M. Neufeld Law

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An interesting case out of Montgomery County was released by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals this last week. The case involved a DWI and the state’s intended use of a trooper as an expert without disclosing the expert in a timely manner. The Wednesday before trial the state designated its expert. Under 39.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure the state is obligated to disclose the name and address of each person who may provide evidence in a trial no later than twenty days before the trial date. On the date of trial in this matter, a jury was picked and sworn in which placed the defendant Garrels in “jeopardy” which bars her from retrial under double jeopardy laws in Texas.

When the trial began, the trooper began to testify about the standardized field sobriety tests and how Garrels performed on the tests. Garrels objected to the testimony and stated that her rights had been violated due to the fact that the trooper had not been designated as an expert. Under the Texas rules if you are going to present a witness on behalf of the state you have to give the name and address of that expert twenty days before the trial date. This allows the defense to vet witnesses since the state is the one doing the accusing and the burden is on the state. As a counter the state asked for a continuance. The defense argued that a continuance would allow the state a way out of their own error. In the face of two options, one to strike the testimony or two to grant a two-week continuance, the Judge decided to declare a mistrial. The state objected on the basis that a mistrial would bar the state from retrial on the basis of double jeopardy.

The case proceeded to the 9^thCourt of Appeals out of Beaumont. There the court held that, “a defendant who does not object to the trial judge’s sua spontedeclaration of a mistrial, despite an adequate opportunity to do so, has impliedly consented to the mistrial.” In other words, the court held that Garrels had consented to the mistrial and was therefore not barred by double jeopardy. The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas took the case up on the sole ground of, “has a defendant who did not object to a trial court’s declaration of mistrial, despite an adequate opportunity to do so, impliedly consented to the mistrial?”

Conroe Woman Bites Off the Nose of Another Woman

July 31, 2018 | by M. Neufeld Law

Conroe DWI Attorney
A Conroe woman has been accused of biting off a large chunk of another woman’s nose and then swallowing it. According to the Harris County Precinct Four Constable’s Office three local Conroe women decided to go bar hopping. When they got home Jessica Collins of Conroe, Texas wanted alcohol and cigarettes from the other women. When one of the girls refused to hand over the alcohol and cigarettes, Collins tackled her and bit off a part of her nose and then swallowed it.

“I didn’t have time to react, to push her away. I think I was trying to fight back, but I couldn’t. All I could remember was the taste of the blood in my mouth,” stated woman that was attacked.

Collins was charged with Class A misdemeanor assault and was release from jail after posting a $1000 bond. Class A assault carries a possible penalty of $4000 fine and one year in jail. The victim states she has been staying at home because it is the only place she feels safe.

DWI Ignition Interlock Can Be As Dangerous As Drunk Driving

December 5, 2017 | by M. Neufeld Law

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If you have been convicted of DWI, you probably have an ignition interlock device installed in your vehicle. The device was probably ordered by one of the Montgomery, Harris, or Walker County Judges. Over the last few years these devices have become very popular. To make it work, you must push a button on the unit. Then when it says “blow,” you blow into the device. Viola, your vehicle will now start. Sounds like a great idea, right? Well, maybe not. Driving your vehicle with the device installed requires what is called a “rolling test.” Yep, to keep your car going you have to blow into the machine while driving. Hey, wait…isn’t that distracted driving? You bet. So, what could go wrong?

Last week an eighteen-year-old woman was killed by a person that had been ordered by a court to have an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle after his DWI conviction. The young lady was backing out of her driveway and was subsequently struck by the man while blowing into his DWI device. The test takes three to four seconds to complete. In that time span, the man never saw the young lady backing out and never hit his brakes. The man had not been drinking at the time.

In the United States, every day, nine people are killed and over a thousand are injured from distracted driving. Distracted driving is when you are doing something other than paying attention to your surroundings when driving. The three main types of distracted driving are: visual, which is taking your eyes off the road, manual, which is taking your hands off your steering wheel, and cognitive, which is when your mind is not on your driving.