San Augustine, TX DWI Law Firms & Lawyers

The answer depends on the disposition of the case.  If the DWI resulted in a conviction, the record cannot be sealed or expunged under Texas law and will show up during a background check.  If the DWI was dismissed, you should contact a lawyer to have the record expunged.  Good luck.  M. Irene Wilson

You need an experienced DWI attorney. The first when he was 17 can be used as a prior if after 1985. And you'll have to look at Pennsylvania law. But they absolutely could be valid prior enhancements. You need a great DWI attorney.

A jury can convict you if the State can prove you were intoxicated by "reason of the introduction of alcohol or drugs or any combination thereof." So, the short answer is yes, they can get you for the synthetic. There are issues with synthetic in terms of associating it with the illegal drugs enumerated in the H&S Code, though. Beyond the classification issue, there might be an issue with respect to the toxicological effects smoking synthetic would have on you 4 hours after smoking, if they even have evidence to prove that. The DRE exam may be a red herring; or it may be reduced to that. The DRE protocol is supposed to allow the cops to determine which "drug class" your alleged intoxication may stem from. I don't believe synthetic is among the drugs that are included in the DRE protocol. Synthetic isn't MJ; so I wouldn't allow them to testify that the signs and symptoms observed with respect to an MJ investigation are the same as those that should be observed when a person has smoked an entirely different-non-natural, substance. So, there are a lot of issues that can be explored in your defense. If it's your 3rd, you probably already know you're looking at 2-10 years in prison. And, it sounds like this one could be beatable. Hire a good lawyer well-versed in DWI.