Commerce, TX Criminal Defense Law Firms & Lawyers

Whether or not you can "beat" the case depends on way too many factors that cannot be summarized in a little answer. You appearance on the video, if one was made, is a HUGE factor. Can the officer stop you for stopping in the roadway for no apparent reason? Yes. He can stop you because stopping in a moving lane of traffic is not legal, even if you are not impeding traffic. He can stop you because of welfare concerns - because what you did was not normal and he was concerned about your welfare. Once he stopped you, if he smelled alcohol on your breath, if your speech was slurred, or if there was any other reason that he thought you might be impaired, he could conduct an investigation which includes field sobriety tests and offering you a breath test. You need to hire a lawyer ASAP. There are driver's license issues at stake with strict time deadlines. You must request a hearing on your administrative license revocation matter within 15 days or your license will be suspended automatically on the 40th day after your arrest for a period of 6 months because you refused the breath test. Many lawyers use this hearing to conduct discovery on the DWI charge - to see the officer testify, etc. - to help make a decision on how to proceed on the DWI.

It is very likely they will issue a warrant for your arrest. Likely, you'll either be charged with Credit Card Abuse or Theft. You're definitely going to want to hire an attorney. If you've never been in trouble before it's pretty likely that you can avoid doing jail time. However, there are other considerations that need to be made in order to protect your permanent criminal record. I know it seemed like no big deal at the time, but trust me, it is a much bigger deal than you realize. You can get through this, and move forward with your life, but you need to address this directly, and correctly, to ensure it doesn't haunt you for the rest of your life.

Your options are to hire an attorney, if you can afford an attorney, or ask the court to appoint you an attorney to represent you. The option for a public defender is not an automatic option. You should have representation. This is a crime of moral turpitude and will haunt you for the rest of your life if you do not handle it correctly. No one wants to hire a thief. Consult with a local criminal defense attorney, most provide a free consultation for these types of crimes. Good luck.