If you are pulled over for suspected DWI, this situation usually begins with the officer asking you questions such as where you were headed and whether or not you had been drinking. Even though this is an anxiety-provoking experience, an attempt to remain calm as your ability to answer these questions in a relaxed fashion can increase your chances of success and avoiding DWI charges.
If the officer asks you to submit to a field sobriety test or other testing and you do so, and this testing reveals that you may be under the influence of alcohol, you may be put under arrest for DWI. This can escalate the concerns you have about the situation and prompt you to hire an experienced Fort Bend DWI lawyer.
Bear in mind that police officers usually will not read you your Miranda warnings if you have been stopped for a DWI offense until they have already completed the requested blood or breath test and the standard field sobriety tests. This does not mean that you don’t retain your right to remain silent. They just may not remind you of it.
If you are in your vehicle and the police officer asks if you have been drinking that night, any information that you provide, even answers to basic questions, could ultimately be used against you. If you inform them about how many drinks you have had, this information could be used to take you into arrest and to use this statement without reading your rights. These rights will still apply and you do have the right to remain silent.
One right you may wish to exercise sooner rather than later is that of speaking to an experienced Fort Bend DWI defense lawyer. The police may try to encourage you to provide as much information as possible to them but this will not be used to allow you to cooperate or increase your chances of success.
Instead it can actually be used against you and can become problematic down the road in terms of your future with your case. If your Miranda rights are not read, you may wish to ask the officer about whether or not you are under arrest and what is happening next. You do have a right to be informed in general but remaining calm and avoiding the potential escalation can assist you tremendously.
Consulting with an experienced Fort Bend DWI lawyer is strongly recommended if you are accused of DWI because the penalties and consequences may follow you for many years to come.
*Required Information
Segura & Kiatta, Criminal Defense
345 Commerce Green Blvd
Suite 200
Sugar Land, Texas 77478