A Dallas police officer was relieved of his badge after being arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI) on December 14. Officer Brandon Innes was arrested in Grand Prairie after somebody called 911 about a suspected drunken driver on Lake Ridge Parkway near Joe Pool Lake. Responding officers stopped Innes and took him into custody.
Innes has been with the Dallas Police Department for 15 years. He will be on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal affairs investigation. Officer Innes has worked for the department since January 2006 and is currently assigned to the Southwest Patrol Division. He is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs administrative investigation.
The Dallas Morning News reported he was suspended in 2011 after his pickup truck hit a retaining wall and he was then convicted of public intoxication.
This is not the first time a Dallas police officer has been arrested for DWI. In September, a senior corporal with the Dallas Police Department was arrested on a charge of DWI. Lewisville police arrested William McLennan, who has been with the Dallas department since September 2005. He was charged with DWI and booked into the city of Lewisville municipal jail but was no longer listed in jail records Sunday morning.
In early May, a Dallas police officer was arrested for DWI while being on duty in a squad car. Senior Cpl. Sean Mock was booked into Dallas County Jail on one count of driving while intoxicated. According to reports, Mock was taken into custody in the early morning after he was found intoxicated in a parked squad car while patrolling the Northwest division. He has since posted bond, but other details of the case have not been released to the public. Sean Mock is currently on administrative leave until the department has concluded its internal investigation.
And in June, the Dallas Police Department suspended an officer who was arrested and facing a DWI charge after the truck he was driving apparently hit home. Senior Corporal Ronald Coulson was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and was booked into the Denton County Jail, Dallas police said.
According to DPS, a trooper was called to a crash near Fire Wheel Way and Bayberry Avenue in Lantana in Denton County around 6:20 p.m. June 20. DPS said early information shows Coulson’s Dodge Ram truck hit a home in the 1300 block of Fire Wheel Way. No one was seriously hurt, police said.
Coulson is a more than 30-year veteran who has been a Dallas police officer since November 1990. He is currently assigned to the Personnel Division, officials said. He has been placed on administrative leave while an Internal Affairs investigation is conducted, police said. Coulson was the second Dallas police officer arrested in three days, according to officials. Sr. Cpl. Kelvin Woodburn was arrested on Friday and charged with Assault Family Violence.
In August 2020, a 32-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department was arrested. Dallas Police Department Sergeant James Bristo, 57, was arrested by the Irving Police Department on August 1, 2020, and charged with DWI and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He was being held at the Irving City Jail and is awaiting arraignment, therefore, bond information was not available at the time of press.
Aggressive DWI Defense in Dallas, TX
Drinking and driving are not taken lightly in the state of Texas and can result in serious penalties. Each year roughly 90,000 men, women, and minors are arrested for a DWI or driving while intoxicated in Texas. This is a criminal offense which is oftentimes also referred to as driving under the influence (DUI).
According to NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations, there have been about 1,400 drug and alcohol-related vehicle fatalities in the state of Texas since 2009. These stats rank Texas as a state with one of the highest amounts of alcohol and drug-related driving accidents in the nation.
DWI offenses are not limited to just DWIs, as people may also be charged with DWI with a child passenger, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, commercial vehicle DWI, or boating while intoxicated (BWI). Whatever DWI/DUI-related crime you may have been arrested for, you should not assume that going to court and pleading guilty is your only option. With an experienced DWI or DUI attorney in Dallas, you can remain out of jail and enjoy your freedom.
Many in Texas are charged with a DWI, yet they often times refer to it as a DUI. Though they are similar charges with similar penalties, there are a few differences in the offenses. In the state of Texas, a person accused of drinking and driving with a blood-alcohol level (BAC) of over .08 will be charged with a DWI.
However, if the person accused is a first-time offender and a minor under the age of 21, then oftentimes they are charged with a DUI, instead of a DWI. Those over the age of 21 with a BAC of over .08 are oftentimes charged with a DWI which has more severe penalties.
Though these two terms are often used interchangeably, it is important to know the difference since they both are different charges with different penalties.
In the state of Texas, there is a zero-tolerance policy for minors. So if a minor has any amount of alcohol in their system they are charged with drinking and driving. For a first offense, a minor can face a license suspension of up to 1 year, a $500 fine, 90 days of community service and they will also be required to attend an Alcohol Education Program.
Adults that are charged with a DWI face more severe punishment. They can face up to 2 years of license suspension, jail time up to 180 days, a fine of up to $2000, and possibly an ignition interlock device. The punishments get more severe for repeat offenders or those with a child in the car.
A first DWI offense can occur when an individual has an alcohol concentration level over the legal limit or when their normal mental or physical abilities are impaired, even though they may feel they are perfectly capable of driving. Typically, the legal limit in Texas is equivalent to two alcoholic drinks, depending on a person’s body type and weight, amount of food they have consumed, and how long they have been drinking.
If you are charged with a first DWI in Texas (commonly referred to as driving under the influence or DUI in many other parts of the country), you can receive very serious penalties if convicted, including possible jail time, steep fines, a driver’s license suspension, increased auto insurance rates, a mark on your criminal record and/or possible limits on educational and professional opportunities.
A second DWI offense can result in serious penalties, including mandatory minimum jail sentences, required driver’s license suspension, possible fines, monthly reporting to a probation officer, a possible criminal record, and/or requirements to file an SR-22 proof of liability insurance for at least two years.
Texas law requires Dallas County courts to order any person who has been convicted of a second DWI within five years of the previous DWI offense to install and maintain a “deep-lung” air device in their car. This is commonly known as an ignition interlock device and requires the driver of a car to blow in the machine before their car will start. If the machine detects any ethyl alcohol in their breath, the car will not start. Additionally, the machine will require the driver to blow in the machine while the driver is operating the vehicle to ensure the driver is not drinking while driving.
A third DWI offense can result in a felony conviction, which can permanently limit educational and occupational opportunities, limit an individual’s right to vote in Texas, prevent an individual from possessing or owning a gun, and/or create a criminal record.
Texas law requires Dallas County courts to order an individual who has been convicted of a third DWI offense in certain situations to install and maintain a “deep-lung breath analysis mechanism” in any car they own or operate. This device is known as an ignition interlock device and requires the driver of a car to not have any alcohol in their breath before the vehicle will start. The device also usually requires the driver to blow in the machine while the person is driving to ensure they have not been drinking and driving.
Find a Dallas DWI Defense Lawyer | Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy
Were you arrested for DWI in the greater Dallas area? You will want to be sure that you seek legal representation without delay.
The Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy can aggressively defend you against your criminal charges and will work to help you secure the most favorable possible resolution to your case. We will be able to look at your case and discuss all of your legal options when you call (972) 233-5700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation.