If you are facing your third DWI charge (or more), or injured another person while driving while intoxicated, you could be facing serious ramifications. A felony DWI charge can have a long-term impact on your personal and professional life.
Fortunately, our team has handled hundreds of cases like yours and are skilled at defending intoxication offenses. By speaking with our Grapevine felony DWI lawyers, you will come away with a greater understanding of your situation and how we can help you navigate this difficult time.
How Can DWI Charges be Elevated to a Felony Offense?
A DWI can be elevated to a felony offense in Grapevine in a number of ways including:
- Driving intoxicated with a child passenger in the vehicle
- Having two or more prior DWI convictions
- Driving intoxicated and causing a wreck that injured someone (intoxication assault)
- Driving intoxicated and causing a wreck that caused a death (intoxication manslaughter)
If you are facing any of the above allegations, it’s imperative that you contact a skilled and savvy attorney right away. All of these charges carry prison time and you need someone who will work tirelessly to achieve the most favorable outcome possible. Our team is prepared to help you fight a DWI felony charge.
Please take a moment to watch this informative video by Board Certified Criminal Defense Lawyer Benson Varghese.
Difference Between Felony and Misdemeanor DWI
Unlike misdemeanor cases, all felony cases go before a grand jury. If the grand jury believes there is probable cause that the offense occurred, the case will be indicted and assigned to a district court. Because of this additional review, felony DWI cases take longer than misdemeanor cases to be resolved. However, the basic principles of a DWI and the science that applies to how specimens are tested are similar to that of any misdemeanor case.
What are the Penalties for a Felony DWI in Grapevine?
The punishments for a felony charge are more severe than for a misdemeanor charge.
- Three or more DWIs, sometimes called a DWI-felony repetition, is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
- DWI with a child passenger is a state jail felony, punishable by 180 days to two years in the state jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
- Intoxication assault is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison.
- Intoxication manslaughter is usually a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine.
Our Grapevine lawyers understand the substantial impact a felony DWI conviction can have on you and your family. That is why we work to minimize or possibly diminish these consequences by building a strong defense specific to your situation.
Defending a Felony DWI Charge in Grapevine
One of the first steps our attorneys takes in preparing a defense for a felony DWI charge is to get all the evidence from the state and examine it. This includes the offense report, witness statements, 911 calls, video from the patrol car, and video from the officer’s body-worn camera. Our attorneys then determine whether there was a reasonable suspicion for the stop and probable cause for an arrest, and evaluate the process used to draw the blood. We obtain the lab reports and notes to see what the lab did to test the evidence and analyze the different factors to look for weaknesses or mistakes in the case.
We will review prior DWIs to see if any of those can be kept out or if there are legal issues with proving up the priors. We will carefully evaluate all the evidence and makes sure that every piece is obtained and reviewed.
Felony DWI cases are handled more harshly by prosecutors because of the concerns for public safety. Rest assured, our team takes these cases very seriously and will aggressively defend you.
Speak with Our Grapevine Felony DWI Attorneys Today
If you are a facing a felony DWI in Grapevine, it is important to find a defense attorney who has experience handling these cases. By working with our Grapevine felony DWI lawyers, you get the advantage of having an attorney who knows what the judge expects in a case, how to best present the evidence, and how the prosecutors think. Call the office of Varghese Summersett today to get started.
