Barstow, TX Criminal Defense Law Firms & Lawyers

Generally, police are not required to obtain a search warrant to search or seize garbage that you place outside your home for collection. Courts, including those in Texas where you are from, hold that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in such discarded trash. Once a person places his trash in the location for pickup by the trash collectors, where it is accessible to the public and likely to be viewed by the public, that person no longer has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the trash. Further, it makes no difference whether the police or the garbage collector retrieves the bags. Once a person places trash bags containing contraband next to a public thoroughfare for collection, he exposes them to the public-at-large, including the police. If the police had come onto your property to seize the garbage, it would be a different story. Your home is protected by the Fourth Amendment. But such protection does not extend to the alley behind your home, or even to the sidewalk in front of it.

Why has it gone on this long? Have you skipped bail and they just haven't caught up with you? You need to hire an attorney and put this thing to rest. DUI and DWI are very serious, with jail time, fines and license suspensions as options.

The ticket is a summons to appear in court. Those mistakes can be used to advantage by a good traffic ticket defense attorney. Don't represent yourself.