DWI WITH CHILD PASSENGER

DWI with Child Passenger | Fort Worth DWI Attorney | Felony DWI Charges

Arrested for DWI with Child Passenger under 15, a State Jail Felony? Our Fort Worth Criminal Defense Law Firm offers experienced DWI attorneys and former Tarrant County prosecutors who can help fight your DWI with Child charge. Over DWI lawyers have combined to try over 150 DWI jury trials and have handled thousands of DWI plea negotiations. Our goal is to get your case dismissed or reduced.

Senior Partner Lindsay Truly is a former DWI prosecutor in Tarrant County and is the lead Fort Worth DWI lawyer at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC.  Lindsay is a Super Lawyers Rising Star (21, 22, 23, 24, and 25) by Thomson Reuters and a Top Fort Worth Attorney by Fort Worth Magazine (20, 21, 22, 23, and 2024). See some of her results and outstanding 5 star reviews.

What We Offer in Your DWI Defense:

Extensive DWI Trial Experience

Our firm has extensive trial experience in criminal and DWI defense. Our criminal defense attorneys and DWI lawyers have tried over 350 combined criminal trials, including jury trials for DWI, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Sexual Assault, Drug Possession, Gun and Weapons Charges, Burglary of a Habitation, and Capital Murder. In addition, we have reviewed and successfully negotiated thousands of criminal charges.

Former DWI Prosecutors in Tarrant County, Dallas County, and Harris County, Texas

As former prosecutors in Tarrant, Dallas, and Harris County, our DWI lawyers know how the State of Texas will attempt to prosecute you on your criminal charges. This knowledge will allow our firm to build the best defense in fighting your state criminal charges.

Partner Lindsay Truly, who is our lead Fort Worth DWI Lawyer at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC, is a former DWI prosecutor in Tarrant County and has successfully negotiated hundreds of DWI charges. She is also a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Thomson Reuters and a Top Fort Worth Attorney by Fort Worth Magazine for 2022, 2023, and 2024.  See some of her results and outstanding 5 star reviews.

Superior Knowledge in DWI Law | Board Certified in Criminal Law

DWI defense is a unique area of criminal law, in part, because many cases involve drinking alcohol, which is not, by itself, against the law and it also involves many components of criminal defense (i.e. traffic stops, search and seizure, probable cause to arrest, specific tests just for DWI investigations, and blood and breath test experts), so it is important to have extensive experience in many areas of criminal law.

Our criminal lawyers know the inside and out of each and every aspect of a police investigation and State prosecution, including criminal laws, proper police procedures, DNA and blood forensic evidence, and knowing exactly how the State plans to introduce evidence into trial. This experience is invaluable and necessary to be able to properly defend a DWI charge.

Partners Colin McLaughlin and Hilary Wright are both Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and all of our attorneys continuously attend criminal and DWI CLE seminars to make sure we are up to date on any change in the law.

Highly Rated & Award Winning DWI Lawyers

Our team has received over 250 5 star reviews on Google from our former clients.  In addition, our team has been recognized for their outstanding performance in criminal law.  Managing Partner Bryan Hoeller has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2023, 2024, and 2025.  Lindsay Truly and Dustin Trammel were also both named Super Lawyers Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters for 2022, 2023, and 2024.  In addition to being Board Certified, Partner Colin McLaughlin was named a Top Criminal Lawyer in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Magazine for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Partner Hilary Wright is the President of the Texas Association of Specialty Courts.

TEXAS PENAL CODE | DWI WITH CHILD

49.045 | TEXAS PENAL CODE | DWI WITH CHILD PASSENGER

(a) A person commits an offense if:

(1) the person is intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place; and

(2) the vehicle being operated by the person is occupied by a passenger who is younger than 15 years of age (Note: this is the portion of the law that turns a misdemeanor DWI into a felony).

(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony.

CALL A DWI ATTORNEY TODAY TO HELP BUILD A STRONG DEFENSE WITH YOUR FELONY DWI WITH CHILD CHARGE

If you or a loved one is facing a DWI with child passenger charge, you need an experienced and highly reviewed DWI attorney to help get the case dropped or reduced to a misdemeanor (to avoid a felony conviction). Unlike many felony offenses, Texas law does not allow for deferred adjudication (deferred probation that ends in a dismissal if successfully completed) on felony DWI with child passenger charge.  To avoid a permanent felony conviction, the case has to be dropped (no billed by a Grand Jury), dismissed by the District Attorney’s office, or reduced to a misdemeanor offense (typically by convincing the State to waive the child passenger portion of the Indictment, to allow for a plea to a misdemeanor DWI charge).

In addition, our lawyers help on the outset with the initial driver’s license suspension that comes from the State of Texas for being arrested for a felony DWI with child passenger charge.

Fortunately, there are many ways to challenge or mitigate a DWI arrest, and it’s important that your Fort Worth DWI attorney understands how your case can be challenged. This may include challenging the basis for the initial traffic stop or challenging whether the State can prove intoxication through field sobriety tests or a blood result.

Whether it’s your first DWI or you’re a repeat offender facing felony charges, you need a DWI attorney in Fort Worth who will fight for your future. At Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC, we provide aggressive representation and will do everything we can to get your case dismissed or get your charges reduced.

If you would like more information about a Fort Worth DWI with Child Passenger that gets results, call 817-334-7900 or fill out our online contact form.