24 Jan 2013
We reported briefly in our blog (Another Celebrity Arrest) on the August 2012 arrest of country singer Randy Travis after he was discovered naked at the scene of a one-car traffic accident. Time has passed, and last week the Grayson County District Attorney formally charged Travis with driving while intoxicated. The report we read added only one fact of importance in the case, and that is the allegation that Travis’ blood alcohol content (BAC) was in excess of 0.15 at the time of the accident.
A simple DWI, absent additional factors, is a Class B misdemeanor. In addition to loss of your driver’s license and related penalties, it is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, and up to 180 days in jail, or both. A couple of years ago, the legislature amended the statute to provide enhanced penalties for a high BAC. The law currently provides that where you are convicted of DWI, and your BAC is 0.015 or higher, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor. The penalties for a class A misdemeanor are a fine of up to $4,000, and ordinarily up to a year in jail (or both). Obviously, there are other factors that can increase the classification and the potential penalty.
Potential jail time for drunk driving is not Travis’ only legal problem at this point. While he reportedly settled an unrelated assault charge several days ago, he still faces a criminal retaliation charge arising out of the incident last August. Retaliation in this case is a third degree felony.
Time will tell if the allegations stand up in court, but however they turn out, the last six months has seen some unfortunate and embarrassing incidents in Travis’ life, not the least of which was being discovered naked at the scene of a car accident. That particular aspect of the case led Fox News to report his arrest as possibly the “most embarrassing celeb DWI.”
We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that a common thread here appears to involve the consumption of alcohol. Having said that, we can report that all the news is not bad. According to Travis’ defense lawyer, his client has now stopped drinking.
Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
1205 Rio Grande Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737