DISTRICT ATTORNEY ANNOUNCES NO-REFUSAL NEW YEAR’S WEEKEND

GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Jack Roady announced today that his office will join law enforcement agencies across Galveston County in sponsoring a No-Refusal New Year’s Weekend from Friday, December 30th through Sunday, January 1st. 

Roady explained the reasoning behind the program:  “The goal is to increase public safety – especially during holiday weekends when the risks run high.  We get the word out early to deter folks who would otherwise ignore the dangers associated with drunk driving.”

In Texas, anyone driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter or higher is considered legally impaired. However, an increasing number of impaired drivers refuse to submit to BAC testing in an attempt to avoid—or have reduced—the criminal sanctions they could face upon conviction.  Under the No Refusal program, police officers may seek blood search warrants for offenders who are arrested for DWI and refuse the officer’s request for testing.  Blood samples collected can be used as evidence in the DWI cases.

Local judges will be working throughout the weekend to make probable cause determinations and authorize the blood search warrants.   Prosecutors and nurses will join the judges in working through the night in the effort to cut down on drunk driving offenses.