Dilley, TX DWI Law Firms & Lawyers

It seems like two questions, if you have an attorney you should rely on the advice of counsel, if not, you should consider hiring an attorney. At your preliminary hearing you should not be asked about any pending charges unless you are actually sworn and testifying, and then, hopefully your attorney can keep that question from getting an answer. A skilled criminal defense attorney can help you.

The gun case is largely dependent upon what happens with the DWI. If you have a CHL, then the only way to beat the gun case is to beat the DWI.  The strength of the DWI depends on (a) how you looked on the cops dashcam video (if there was one); (b) the station video (if there was one); (c) whether there was a breath test or a blood test; and (d) what you told the officer during the course of his/her investigation and arrest. If you look normal and sound normal on the videos, and there is no breath or blood tests, you should not plea guilty to it, in my opinion.  Your options with respect to the DWI is to plead guilty to it, or set it for trial. You can't get deferred probation in Texas on an alcohol case, so that is why the options are more limited than for some other type of cases. Often, the only way to avoid a conviction for a DWI charge is to take it to trial, and to win.  

This is a common misnomer. People believe that if a case is dismissed it is not on their criminal record. In Massachusetts a "court record" is created once a complaint issues. A "criminal record" or CORI is created once a defendant is arraigned on the charges. The charges may ultimately be dismissed, but the dismissal is reflected on the CORI. The importance of a dismissal is that one can honestly state that they were never convicted of the crime charged. To clear your record in Massachusetts one must seal their record. Sealing a record does not necessarily mean that someone cannot find that you were arrested. If one is arrested and fingerprinted in Massachusetts all fingerprints are sent to the FBI. That creates an arrest record which is difficult to seal. If you have concerns about your record consult an experienced criminal attorney.