The Houston DUI defense lawyers of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C. would like to inform people about the power outages that are taking place in the Houston area. These outages are a direct result of the major thunderstorms that have hit the city throughout the day on Monday.

Approximately 19,600 Houston residents are said to be without power. The Houston Independent School District also reported that five of their schools have lost power as well. The city is anticipating flooding as the rain continues and they are preparing for evacuations.

The thunderstorms have subsided but only after they created hail and potential tornadoes in the city.

To learn more about the storms and to see the weather predictions for the Houston area, please visit USA Today.

A 48-year-old Houston man was charged with driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, and public intoxication.

Motorists noticed the man driving recklessly and running stop signs before wrecking his vehicle on Sunday afternoon. Many of the motorists called 911 to report the erratic driver.

According to North Strabane police who arrived to the scene, the man was noticeably intoxicated, and was acting aggressive toward the officers. The man was also being very uncooperative and shouting obscenities when officers attempted to administer a field sobriety test.

The man is currently being held in Washington County Jail with bail set at $5,000. Judge Jay Weller is scheduled to oversee his preliminary hearing on September 14th.

If you or a loved one has been charged with driving under the influence in Houston, you need experienced representation on your side to help fight the charges. Contact the Houston DUI defense attorneys of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C. by calling 713-222-0400 today to discuss your case.

Every state in the U.S. applies two statutory offenses to driving under the influence.

In a drunk driving case, the driver is first charged with driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated/impaired (DWI), or operating while intoxicated/imparired (OWI). This first offense is based upon a police officer’s observations, such as the results of a roadside sobriety test and driving behavior.

The driver is also charged with a second offense called “illegal per se.” This second charge stems from driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. It has been illegal in all 50 states to drive with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.08 percent since 2002.

If you have been charged with drunk driving in Texas, please contact the Houston DUI Attorneys of Johnson Johnson & Baer, P.C., at 713-222-0400.

Authorities have announced a state-wide initiative intensifying DWI patrols during spring break.

According to a statement released by the Texas Highway Patrol, troopers will be out in force across the state at popular spring break locations deemed to be “high-risk.” The statement was addressed state-wide so it did not specify Houston-specific locations.

The Houston Police Department will be working with the Texas Highway Patrol, increasing police presence in the city from March 12-20. Police will also dispatch additional blood alcohol testing vehicles, known as BAT vans, around the city.

In the statement, the Highway Patrol also mentioned underage drinking. Authorities encouraged college and high school students to remember that it is illegal to drink while under the age of 21.

If you have been charged with DWI or DUI in Houston, please contact the Houston Drunk Driving Attorneys of Johnson Johnson & Baer, P.C., by calling 713-222-0400.

A man in Austin has been charged with DUI after intentionally ramming several cars Thursday morning.

According to officials with the Dallas Police Department, Matthew Byron Hurd was arrested Thursday morning after he collided with at least one car in Carrollton and as many as six others in Dallas. He is also suspected of ramming a vehicle in Farmers Branch.

Police say Hurd resisted arrest, kicked an officer in the face and tried to steal police dashcam video. One of Hurd’s alleged victims said he had a wild look in his eye and was shaking his fist as he rammed her vehicle three times.

Hurd is being held in Carrollton County Jail. His criminal record includes convictions on assault and firearms charges.

If you or a loved one has been is facing a DWI or DUI charge, please contact the Houston DUI Lawyers of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C., by calling 713-222-0400.

A six-member jury acquitted former Dallas police officer Dwight Govan of driving while intoxicated Thursday.

The verdict came after Govan’s attorney, George Milner III, successfully argued that the prosecutors had not proven he was drunk at the time he was behind the wheel. Govan was arrested on January 26, 2008, after he ran into a Toyota Camry at a stop light. As the other driver checked out the damage to his bumper, Govan drove away, heading the wrong way on Victory Avenue.

Govan was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, police said. He declined to take blood-alcohol breath and blood tests. The field sobriety tests, however, were not conducted until nearly two hours after the accident.

Senior Cpl. Mike Bryan testified that even though Govan failed the tests later, he could not say whether he was intoxicated when he was behind the wheel, because it takes time for alcohol to be absorbed into a person’s bloodstream.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Houston DUI Lawyers of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C., today by calling 713-222-0400.

A woman was arrested after early on Tuesday morning after hitting a police car near Montrose.

According to the Houston Police Department, the accident occurred near the restaurant One’s A Meal that is located on Westheimer and Crocker.

The 22-year-old woman was driving westbound down the roadway when she lost control of her vehicle and went through the parking lot, striking the vehicle. The police officer was not in the car at the time of the accident, he was heading into the restaurant.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a serious crime such as DWI, contact the Houston DWI lawyers of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C., by calling 713-222-0400 today.

A Galveston Assistant District Attorney was recently arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.  ADA Lester Blizzard was arrested by Galveston police on December 29th.  Blizzard was suspended from his position as head of the county’s felony division without pay after the arrest.

Another Galveston official was also arrested for driving while intoxicated around the time Blizzard was arrested.  Galveston County deputy Tino Ramirez and Blizzard were 2 of 30 people arrested during a 30 hour drunk driving enforcement in Galveston.  Officials will be investigating both men’s charges and special prosecutors will be assigned to their cases to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Contact the DWI defense attorneys of Johnson, Johnson & Baer P.C. at 713-222-0400 if you or someone you know has been accused of driving while intoxicated.

The recent fervor over a recent proposal to institute a new “driving-while-ability-impaired” law is dying down, and policymakers say it is unlikely to work out.

The proposal would make it so that those who imbibed moderately might still be punishable for illegal drinking and driving even if their blood alcohol level was under the currently legal limit of 0.08.

“It created a lot of dialogue, but I don’t think will ever be workable,” state Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston.

The idea would not lower the legal alcohol limit, but instead create a new classification for those with blood alcohol levels between 0.05 and 0.07.

“If you’re going to write up people for that and test ‘em on the side of the road for that, you’d probably have to shut down all your bars and restaurants and your sports events. … Essentially, wine with dinner would have to go out the window,” Whitmire said.

If you are seeking experience legal counsel when it comes to drunken driving charges, contact the Houston DWI lawyers of Johnson, Johnson & Baer, P.C., by calling 713-222-0400.

A Montgomery County jury sentenced a man with eight drunk driving convictions to life in prison this Wednesday.

The prosecution claimed the man was a habitual offender on his third trial that would lead to jail time, making his sentence 25 years to life. His last crash, which prompted this trial, happened as he backed out of his driveway with the headlights off around midnight, April, 2009. He was struck by another drunk driver as he was pulling out.

Police responding to the scene reported the man’s voice was extremely slurred and he had trouble keeping his balance. The man refused to perform field sobriety tests or take a breathalyzer but he police say he told them he had been drinking for three days straight.