Posted by Doug Murphy | Mar 30, 2022 |
It's always frightening when the police pull you over for a suspected DWI, but if you have kids in the car, it can be even more serious. Did you know that a DWI with kids in the car can also result in felony charges? That's what a Harris County man recently discovered.
Driving Erratically with...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Mar 27, 2022 |
If you're a professional driver, you undoubtedly understand the importance of safety on the road. You also know that your employer, and the people of Texas, trust you to keep your passengers and others on the road as safe as possible. If the police suspect you of breaking that trust and drinkin...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Mar 24, 2022 |
If the police arrest you for a DWI, you have rights. We've all seen the legal dramas, and we know that we're innocent until proven guilty. As a result, you may assume that the police and prosecutors will treat you as innocent accordingly. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. On Thanksgivi...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 21, 2022 |
An arrest for a DWI is a frightening experience. You may be unsure what's happened or why you're facing an arrest when you don't believe you were drunk. Plus, you don't know what will happen next or the consequences if a court convicts you. Even worse, you can end up in jail overnight or until ...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 18, 2022 |
When serving in the military in Texas, you're probably more concerned with injuries during a deployment or in the field than getting arrested for drunk driving. But for National Guard troops recently stationed at the U.S.-Mexican border, DWI charges turned out to be a big concern.
National Gua...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 15, 2022 |
It's happened to many of us. You go out with friends for a night on the town. You have a few drinks, and you decide to take a nap in your car before heading home to make sure you're safe to drive. But then a police car pulls up behind your parked car, and the officer knocks on your window. Uh o...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 12, 2022 |
As Americans and Texans, we like to think we make our own choices fiercely and independently. But there's no denying that bars, entertainment venues, sporting events, restaurants, and alcohol industry marketing all affect the way Americans drink. Whether the marketing features Spuds McKenzie ha...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 09, 2022 |
When you see those blue lights flashing behind you, it can be frightening, particularly if you've had a drink or two and you worry that the police may think you're intoxicated. But it's always best to pull over. Continuing to drive, making the police think you're trying to flee the jurisdiction...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 06, 2022 |
An arrest for a DWI is stressful and frightening. You're undoubtedly worried about the repercussions of a possible criminal conviction, but should you also worry about a civil lawsuit? Who can face a lawsuit after a DWI? A recent verdict in a lawsuit against Beer Belly's Sports Bar in Corpus Ch...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Feb 03, 2022 |
When you're facing a possible arrest for a DWI stop, you may be panicked and unsure how to act or what to say. But it's important to remember that an arrest for a DWI does not mean a court will convict you. You are innocent until proven guilty, and you can't panic or appear uncooperative to the...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 31, 2022 |
If you or someone you love is facing drug charges related to prescription medications, you may be confused about the line between legal and illegal prescription medication. Often, we think of “legal” and “illegal” drugs, but prescription drugs that aren't prescribed legally are also illegal. We...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 28, 2022 |
Around holidays and big events, we've all become used to seeing flashing blue lights set up on the side of the road pulling people over. We take roadblocks and drunk traps for granted now, and the police bill them as an important safety measure to protect Texas communities. But do these roadblo...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 25, 2022 |
If the police pull you over for a traffic violation, did you know that they can parlay this into arresting you for DWI? We all think of traffic stops by Houston police as stops intended to keep the public safe. If a driver is running red lights, speeding, or driving while texting, we can all se...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 22, 2022 |
If you're facing a charge for DWI, you could be worried that this may be the end of your career or your reputation in the community. But it's important to remember that a DWI arrest is not the end of the game. You are innocent until proven guilty, and a strong defense can get you back on track....
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 18, 2022 |
If you're facing a trial for a suspected DWI, you may wonder what rights you have before your trial. Can the police continue to test you for drugs and alcohol? How much information will the state have if you seek medical treatment? Your individual rights and personal medical history can become ...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 15, 2022 |
The last week of November was a deadly time for crashes in Houston. In a span of ten days, six people died, including two 16-year-olds. The police suspect that drinking and driving was a factor in several of the crashes. Being arrested for a suspected DWI is always scary, but when you've also b...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 11, 2022 |
An arrest is always stressful. You end up worried about what will happen if you're convicted, where you'll go, and how the process works. When you're facing criminal charges, knowing what will happen next is essential. Without up-to-date knowledge about your case and the criminal justice system...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 08, 2022 |
The state of Texas takes drug crimes very seriously. Our state has some of the toughest penalties in the nation, and every year the legislature adds new “designer drugs” to Texas drug laws. And the Texas Controlled Substances Act is written broadly in an attempt to include chemically similar de...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Jan 04, 2022 |
If you or someone you know faces an arrest after a DWI with a fatality, you understand how tragic this can be. Knowing that someone died, even if you weren't drunk, is heartbreaking. You are still innocent unless proven guilty under the law, but you'll need an experienced and board certified DW...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 31, 2021 |
A recent media report out of El Paso (TX) indicates that Mexican drug cartels are spiking meth, heroin, and even marijuana with the opioid fentanyl to more quickly addict users to a dangerous high and subject an unsuspecting user to serious health risks or death. The story highlights how synthe...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 28, 2021 |
A recent media story highlights the unreliability of cheap, quick, and simple drug field tests. These cheap drug field tests enable authorities to pop a substance into a bag of chemicals, give it a shake, and watch the color change for a purportedly positive test result. The national story depi...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 25, 2021 |
A recent media report of a Porter, TX DWI arrest provides an extreme example of a case involving the use of a portable breath test device at the scene of the DWI arrest. The point here is to consider the reliability of portable breath test devices. Two circumstances, though, make that question ...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 22, 2021 |
More of us are on the road during the holidays, off to see family and friends. Unfortunately, having more people on the roads means more accidents. More than 40,000 people across the U.S. die in traffic accidents each year, with many of those happening over holidays. And according to a new repo...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 21, 2021 |
Here's one to watch out for. A recent Courthouse News Service story details a frightening incident in which opioid-tainted advocacy flyers placed on squad cars outside an East Houston sheriff's location hospitalized an officer who touched them. Trace amounts of deadly opioids like fentanyl can ...
Posted by Doug Murphy | Dec 18, 2021 |
A recent media report brings to light the horribly unfortunate circumstance of a man dying after becoming unresponsive in the booking process at the Harris County Sheriff's downtown processing center after the man's DWI arrest. Nothing currently indicates any police wrongdoing. The report indic...