How Can a Lawyer Help in My Texas Public Intoxication Case?
If you are over the age of 21 in the United States, it is legal for you to consume alcohol. However, under certain circumstances, that lawful consumption of alcohol has the potential to lead to criminal charges. For example, if you are involved in a bar fight, you may face assault charges. If you get in your car and try to drive home, you may be arrested for driving under the influence. Additionally, if you decide you leave the drinking establishment and simply walk home or to another location, you risk being charged with public intoxication.
You may wonder how it is legal to drink alcohol, but not legal to leave a bar or restaurant after drinking. The truth is that not every person who is stopped by police on suspicion of public intoxication should be. In order to be charged with public intoxication, police must believe that you are so intoxicated that you may be a danger to yourself or to another person. Unfortunately, this is a subjective observation, and police often arrest people for public intoxication who posed no threat of danger at all.
How an Attorney can Help
Because public intoxication arrests are often so subjective, an experienced defense lawyer can argue that you were never, in fact, a danger to yourself or anyone else. A lawyer can use evidence and witnesses to show that police were overly zealous and made their arrest in error, and that your actions do not fit the elements required for a public intoxication conviction. If your attorney makes an adequate showing that the police and prosecutors were wrong, it is likely your case will be dismissed altogether.
Even if your case is not completely dismissed, an experienced defense attorney knows how to successfully negotiate with prosecutors to amend your charge down and limit the consequences you face.
Contact an Austin Public Intoxication Lawyer for a free consultation
Above are only some of the ways an attorney can help you with your public intoxication case. If you simply plead guilty and pay a fine, you will have a conviction on your permanent record and will never know whether a lawyer could have gotten your case dismissed. For this reason, you should always consult with an experienced criminal defense lawyer if you are facing public intoxication charges. Call the Law Office of Kevin Bennett today at (512) 476-4626 for a free case evaluation.
