DA’s Office: 3,700 DWI cases in El Paso from January through November
The District Attorney’s Office told ABC-7 Friday approximately 3,700 DWI cases were filed in El Paso from January 1, 2016 to November 1, 2016.
On November 3rd, six people were charged with DWIs within the span of three hours.
El Paso Police arrested 46 people accused of driving drunk Thanksgiving weekend. The year before, 40 people were arrested during the same holiday weekend.
In 2016, 338 of those arrested were charged with their second DWI. 427 of those arrest were charged with their third DWI, the DA’s Office said.
“When the individual is out on bond, the individual is innocent until proven guilty. However, measures have been put in place to try and prevent them from driving again,” said Claudia Duran, a spokeswoman with the District Attorney’s Office. “An offenders license will be suspended 41 days after their arrest and the license will be suspended between 90 days to a year before their court date.”
If convicted, the punishment varies depending on whether or not the driver is a repeat offender or the extent of the crime.
For the first offense, the maximum fine is $2,000 and jail sentences vary from 72 hours to 180 days. The driver’s license is suspended for 90 days, up to 365 days.
For a second offense, the maximum fine is $4,000. A jail sentence can range in between 30 to 365 days and the driver’s license could be suspended anywhere from 180 days to two years.
For a third offense, the maximum fine is $10,000. The driver’s prison sentence could range in between two and ten years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility. The driver’s license could be suspended in between 180 days to two years in prison.
If charged with Intoxication Assault, the maximum fine for a driver is $10,000. The driver’s prison sentence could range in between two and ten years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility. The driver’s license could be suspended in between 180 days to two years in prison.
The maximum fine for a DWI with child passenger is also $10,000. The jail sentence could last anywhere from six months to two years in a state facility. A driver’s license could be suspended 90 days up to two years.
